Thirteen
by Hallo'sEve
Summary: Thirteen is an unlucky number for most, but for him, it's haunting. Slade watched him miss obvious clues, make petty mistakes... The times quickly stacked up and when Robin finally made his last mistake, his world came crashing down. He wasn't a hero anymore. Robin had been dragged from the light and forced into the darkness. *Apprentice fic. Season One.
1. Adumbrate

**Update: 1/8/13: I re-posted the first chapter to change a few things. Nothing too big or anything, just a few details. There will be another update by this Saturday or Sunday. I also wanted to change the summary to make it a bit more appealing.  
**

**A/N: Oh, yes, it's another one of _these_ stories. I'm finally tackling an apprentice fic of my own and I am beyond excited to start.**

**Anyways, I'll post the dates in which each chapter is taking place, and I'm trying to keep it coherent with the show itself. There's no pairings and most of the events of season one have not taken place yet. Updates will most likely by once a month.  
**

**So, for the moment I've been waiting for, this is Chapter 1.  
**

**~Thirteen~  
**

* * *

_Chapter__ 1_**  
**

_October 16, 2012  
_

_{21:06 EST}  
_

The failed stimulation was still haunting him. He wasn't sure what disturbed him more, the sickening thought of sending himself and his friends to their demise or how real the whole thing felt.

Robin sat on the green sofa with his knees drawn up to his chest, arms wrapped around them. His shades were falling dangerously close towards the tip of his nose with his eyes screwed shut behind them. The stimulation was a few hours ago, and the Team endured the endless ticking of the clock in silence. No one was daring enough to break it.

M'gann sat on another couch, her legs crossed before her and arms held at her chest. Conner stood behind the couch she was resting on and leaned against the wall with his arms roughly crossed.

Over in the connected kitchen, Kaldur stood against the island, casting his gaze towards the floor. Wally sat near by, his chin resting on the counter of the kitchen. Artemis stood by the Boy Wonder, and she stood against the back of the couch he sat on.

"We... we're all spending the night here... right?" Artemis quietly asked, keeping her voice low to avoid letting them know the pain she felt.

The youngest in the room immediately looked up towards her teary grey eyes. "Yeah, all of us are."

"Actually, none of you are."

Batman's voice cut through like ice, successfully grabbing all the teens' attention. "Another urgent mission has come up, and the League is spread out far too thin now to handle the mission. We need the six of you to take up this task."

Robin's jaw dropped for a short second before he locked eyes with his mentor. "Batman... we just-"

"I know." The Dark Knight interrupted the boy, "However this is a serious mission, and it must be taken care of. The League can't do it at the moment. Suit up and meet in the debriefing room in three minutes."

With that note, Batman quickly stalked out of the room, all the teens watching the way he made his departure.

"He isn't serious." Wally said, turning around to look at his teammates, "Please, tell me he isn't serious."

No one moved at first, nor did anyone look at the speedster right away. It wasn't long before Kaldur spoke from behind him, "I believe that he is, Wally. And he said this is a very important mission for us. I do not think it would be wise to keep him waiting."

Wally shook his head, looking back at the Atlantian, "It's not fair. After we just went through..." The speedster didn't want to finish his thought. He spun on his heel and lowered his head as he walked out. The rest of the team followed after except for Robin, who still had to move from his spot.

The boy sighed and rested his chin on his knees. He remained the same way for a few more moments before he quickly made his way out of the room.

* * *

_{21:10 EST}_

Rushing in late, Robin's cape fluttered behind him and his feet tapped frantically against the floor. Everyone stared at him as he came in, walking the last few feet.

"Sorry I'm late..." He muttered more to himself than to Batman. Robin kept his head low, his usual fire missing from his personality. Batman curtly nodded before turning to face the holographic computer behind him.

After a few moments of typing, a large map of a snowy mountain range came up on the screen. Not long afterwards, multiple checkpoints appeared. Different colors signified each member's position for the upcoming mission.

"This mission is to stop a delivery of a very powerful and very unstable energy core. Your job is to intercept this power source before it gets to the buyer," Batman began, turning back to face the teens, "The League is taking care of very important business with a powerful crime ring, so the mission has fallen to you six. I'm trusting you will be able to handle it."

The uncharacteristically dull chorus of 'yes's disappointed Batman; however, after the recent failedly training mission, he expected nothing less.

"The power core consists of both Xenothium and Kryptonite."

Batman turned to the computer and pulled up the image of the core. The substance's color of red was infused with occasional hints of green. It inclosed itself with a black storage unit while pulsing a sickly brown color from the mixture of both red and green.

Wally's eyes narrowed at the energy core, "If that core is Xenothium and Kryptonite and is falling into the wrong hands, it's going to create a super weapon. That's something we can't stop."

Robin laughed his signature laugh, "Leave it to the science geek."

"No, wait," Wally brought a hand to his chin in thought and tapped against his cheek for a short moment, "If the core explodes with the right type of tremor, it'll blow any place within a three-mile radius sky-high. And if the core is already unstable... Batman, if anything hits that thing, it's going to blow up right in our faces."

Silence cast itself over the room as the truth came out. The Team's eyes widened as they all looked to Batman.

Batman nodded, "Yes, however there you have about fifteen seconds before the explosion. In the case that something hits the power core, Kid Flash, you need to grab it and run it here,"

The Dark Knight pointed to a red marker on the map, a five-mile radius from any civilization, "It will take you about ten seconds to get there, allowing you five seconds to run back, meanwhile M'gann will get the other four in the Bioship and fly to the nearest city, here." He pointed to a green circle on the map which enclosed the city.

"Batman. Y-you can't do that." Robin said shocked. Dread crawled into the room like an unwanted spirit. The other five teens in the room nodded in agreement.

"It is only required for an extreme case," Batman further explained, "As long as no one slips up, everything will run smoothly."

Robin's voice grew harder with anger, "But you can't expect us to risk someone else again, Batman. The stimulation was only hours ago."

"Robin's right. We aren't taking that chance again, we _can't_." M'gann said, her tone of voice very soft and steady. Batman mentally sighed as he faced the one moment he dreaded the entire night. The Caped Crusader turned back to give the teen's his full attention.

"I understand what you six are going through, however we have run out of options."

"No, you don't understand," Superboy cut in, "You weren't there, you didn't have to go through that."

Batman's look turned to a harsher glare as his masked eyes roamed over the Team, daring one of them to speak up. "The decision is final. and the mission is going through as planned. None of you are going to have any projectiles, so you aren't likely to hit the core.

"Unless the bad guys hit it first." Artemis muttered quietly under her breath.

"The energy core is very expensive. The enemy will not risk hitting it. Now, when I said no projectiles, I meant it. Robin, you aren't bringing any bat-a-rangs, any smoke bombs, or electric disks. And Artemis, you are not bringing your bow."

"What?" The blonde archer squeaked, against her usual composure. She tightened her grip on the bow in her hand, glaring up at Batman.

The Dark Knight nodded, "You heard me correctly, Artemis. No bow, so I am trusting you will be capable of handling yourself without it. There will not be any unnecessary risks on this mission."

Batman turned back to the computer screen, "Our source claims that-"

"Source?" Robin asked suddenly, cutting of his mentor's words, "Who's the source?"

"It's leaked information, given to us by an anonymous source."

Robin's mouth tightened to an angry straight line, "So we aren't even sure if there will be a trade. If the mission might not even happen, what's the point of even going?"

"The point, Robin," Batman began, using a very stern tone as one would use to scold a child, "Is that if there actually is a trade, and you are not there to intercept it, we could be looking at the creation of a super weapon, and it's something that we cannot stop. Rather or not the source is reliable, you still are to carry out this mission."

The Boy Wonder's face fell slightly and Batman reverted his attention to the entire team.

"Now, without further interruption, your mission is taking place in the Rocky Mountains. The information passed to us claims that a helicopter will deliver a shipment with an Xenothium-Kryptonite energy core on board. The six of you need to stop the shipment before it gets through."

"Our source says that the helicopter will be heading in from the East to a delivery point here," Batman pointed to a red marker on the map. Miss Martian and Superboy, the two of you will dispatch at two different locations, directly across from one another. Those coordinates will be assigned to you later through Robin's computer."

Batman zoomed in on the map to show directly where the Martian and Kryptonian were going to land. "Aqualad, your location is at this point," He pointed towards another marker, "And either Miss Martian or Superboy will give you the signal of the helicopter."

Kid Flash raised an eyebrow, "Won't we just be able to see the helicopter?"

"The source probably says its going to be invisible." Robin sarcastically said, rolling his eyes.

Before Kid Flash got the chance to laugh at his best friend's humor, Batman cut in with an angry tone, "That's enough, Robin. I do not want to hear another remark from you unless it refers directly to the mission."

The acrobat scoffed bitterly, "This whole mission is pointless, there probably isn't even a trade going on!"

"Robin," Batman began, before Robin spoke up again.

"What?" The ebony hissed, "That was pertaining directly to the mission, wasn't it?" The rest of the team stood shocked at Robin's outburst towards his mentor; however, the teens knew better than to try to interrupt the Dynamic Duo.

As Batman turned to face the youngest in the room, it felt as though the atmosphere coated itself in cold rage. Robin stood still, returning the glare his mentor was throwing his way. He kept his shoulders held back and back straight to look up towards the leading half of the Dynamic Duo, his eye narrowed furiously.

"Robin, if I hear another word from you during the rest of this mission debriefing, I will take you off this team as soon as you complete the mission at hand. I do not have the time to tolerate your behavior, and neither does the rest of your team. One more outburst, and you're quitting. Have I made myself clear?"

The boy swallowed, considering speaking out once again; however, Robin lowered his guard and his cape fell over his slender shoulders. "Yes, sir." He muttered quietly to his mentor.

Batman curtly nodded before sending a warning glare to the others, "I do not want any unnecessary outbursts from anyone else until the debriefing is over."

The remaining five nodded in silence before the Dark Knight turned towards the holographic computer once again, "As I was saying, Aqualad, you wait for the signal of the helicopter's location. According to the source, the helicopter will be cloaked, so either Superboy will hear it or Miss Martian can detect it."

Zooming out on the map, Batman moved it to the far left, showing three other markers, "Meanwhile, the rest of you will be waiting here for the signal."

"They're out of my telepathic range." Miss Martian pointed out softly.

Batman nodded, "Yes, which is why Robin," The boy looked up at the sound of his name, "Will be waiting at this point for Aqualad's signal. Once the helicopter is spotted, Aqualad will deliver that information by sending a lightning strike into the sky for no more than three seconds. Robin will be on constant alert for that signal."

"After Robin receives the signal, he will alert Kid Flash and Artemis. From that point, the three of you will close in on the drop off point, steal the power core, and wait for pick up from the Bioship. There is no radio contact, and you are leaving in two hours. Any questions?"

When no one voiced anything, Batman continued, "Alright then. Coordinates will be sent to Robin during your flight. Pack warm for your trip. Dismissed."

Batman quickly made his way out of the room, leaving the six members of the team to themselves. Artemis was the first to speak up, "This blows. I'm not even bringing my bow on this mission! I'm an archer for a reason, you know."

Superboy rolled his eyes before leaving, heading towards his room to pack. Aqualad and Miss Martian soon followed after him. The Boy Wonder nodded in agreement with Artemis, "I know, this mission is going to be for nothing. Batman never trusts tips like this. I don't understand why he's actually listening to them now."

The speedster shrugged, "I dunno, dude. But we should go pack."

"You aren't worried at all, Wally?" Robin asked as the two made their ways out of the debriefing room, leaving the blonde to head towards her own quarters.

Kid Flash shrugged, "Not really. I mean, I _am_ worried about it. I don't really want to get caught in another... explosion like that. But it's like you said, Rob, the mission's probably going to be a fake anyways. No one just gives away a tip like that unless there's something in it for them. It's gonna be a bust anyways."

Robin nodded in agreement before stopping at his bedroom door and punching in the key door slid open, revealing the Boy Wonder's neatly kept spare bedroom in Mount Justice.

"For everyone's sake, I really hope I'm right."

* * *

**A/N: So there's chapter one. It had a bit too much dialog, but it was necessary. Things will pick up in the next chapter.  
**

**Everyone loves reviews (:**

**-Hallo'sEve**


	2. Unknown

**Chapter 2  
**

**EDIT: 1/22/13: Yeah, this was a really quick change. I didn't care for the ending, the ending was indeed rushed, so I went back and cleaned it up a little so it's better now.**

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, I really appreciate it. I know the first chapter didn't have very much in it, so I made this update special so you had more to read than just that short chapter.**

**Updates are going to be once a month, sometimes sooner. And to someone who asked, Xenothium is the chemical thing that TT!Robin used to power his Red X suit. I know it is a red substance and very unstable and powerful.  
**

**There will be plenty of more action in this chapter, so read on (:  
**

**~Thirteen~  
**

* * *

_Chapter 2_**  
**

_October 17, 2012  
_

_{04:39 PST}  
_

The Bioship finally reached the mountain range after a long and grueling flight in near complete silence. After receiving the coordinates, Miss Martian, Superboy, and Aqualad had dispatched to their designated spots, leaving Robin to fly the ship with Kid Flash and Artemis.

"We'll be there in two minutes." Robin said suddenly, breaking the hard silence. The two others aboard the ship nodded slightly, gazes fixed out the front window. Nightfall had cast itself over the snowy slopes as snow began to cascade down the peaks themselves. Robin sunk back into the control seat irritably, dreading sitting in the snow for a busted mission.

Not much longer, Robin had dropped off Kid Flash and Artemis at their locations deep within the valleys. The trade was to take place a distance away. Robin then flew to his given coordinates and hopped out of the Bioship. The ship then flew by itself back towards Miss Martian's location.

He pushed his cape over his shoulders and trudged through the thick snow. When he reached a large enough rock, Robin brushed the snow off of it and sat on top of it, taking out is binoculars in the process. He watched as his breath would wisp past him, getting carried away by the frosty wind for miles on end.

The same wind threatened to blow his cape back, but Robin held it tightly around his chest. He perched himself as comfortably as he could by ignoring the bitter cold and his chapped lips. The snow began to fall harder, making the mountain range near impossible to see through. Hissing something a foreign language under his breath, Robin grabbed his binoculars roughly and held them to his eyes.

Minutes ticked by at a bitter pace eventually molding into an hour. Robin rolled his eyes and threw his binoculars in the snow in frustration. "I told you there wasn't going to be a shipment, Batman!" The ebony shouted over the mountain peak just to have it be echoed back at him.

Robin groaned and jumped off his rock to pick up his fallen equipment. When he straightened out, he noticed a dark figure standing a few feet away. Cautiously, Robin set his binoculars down and turned to face the hooded figure in the distance. The snow falling hit the man's cloak, speckling it with white dots.

"This is a closed mission." Robin said authoritatively, a bit uneasy with this stranger being so far from civilization at this hour, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave, sir."

"I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm just here to see my shipment go through."

Robin almost nodded, ready to turn back and take up his position again when the words finally sunk in. His head snapped towards the mysterious man with narrowed eyes. "This is _your_ shipment?"

The man nodded, "Indeed it is," he said, nonchalantly looking at the sky over the boy's shoulder. Robin scowled and pulled out his Escrima Sticks, crouching a bit into a defensive position. A few feet before him, the hooded figure smirked and reached into his cloak and pulled out a bo-staff. Robin swallowed, shortly debating if he should switch to a bo-staff or not.

"Who are you?" Robin finally asked, ignoring the small dispute locked in his head. Unbeknown to the Boy Wonder, silent lightning struck behind him, lighting up the sky for three seconds.

The cloaked man smiled although the young hero could not see it, "My name is none of your concern, but you will come to know it in due time."

Robin's glare intensified as he gripped his sticks tighter in his fists. Suddenly, he took off towards the man, striking with his Escrima Sticks. The man seemingly effortlessly blocked Robin's attacks. He then retaliated the younger's attack by swinging his staff and bringing it down on his white-colored glove, sending his Escrima Stick flying.

Gasping in pain, Robin staggered back, narrowly avoiding the man's staff as he swung it up towards his chin with great force. He looked swiftly in the snow for his other Escrima Stick to no avail. Robin threw his other Stick in the snow and took out his bo-staff instead, the staff extending much further than his Escrima Sticks did.

Again, Robin moved with an attack, forcefully swinging the staff towards the cloaked man. His opponent hit Robin's staff in the middle which rewarded both of them with a sharp sound. They both pushed with equal force against the other's staff and Robin strained to see under the man's hood.

"Who are you?" Robin shouted with much more anger. The other began to overpower Robin, forcing him down to one knee. Robin growled in anger, his knee sinking until it reached the icy ground buried deeply beneath the snow.

"Patience." The taller said in a strict tone. He brought up his foot and hammered it into Robin's chest. The Boy Wonder lost his hold on his staff and landed a few feet back with a loud shout of pain. He slid further in the snow and ice, coming to a stop back in his original spot.

The ebony haired boy struggled to catch his breath again and pushed himself back up to his feet. The man stayed in the same spot, only with Robin's skid marks and abandoned staff before his feet.

Robin scanned the man before him. His opponent had a clear advantage with his muscle build, height, and power, meanwhile, Robin already lost his Escrima Sticks, bo-staff, and he didn't have any projectiles in his utility belt to use. This man would definitely be able to overpower him.

_Great._

Not wanting to waste any more time, Robin moved on the offensive side again with a well placed roundhouse kick. The Boy Wonder's foot stopped short when the man caught is ankle with his one hand. His foot was twisted into an awkward and painful position as the man forcefully threw him back through the air.

Robin twisted his body during his short flight into a back flip and he landed smoothly on his abandoned rock. He quickly grazed over his surroundings in hopes of finding a better field to fight on. One on his terms. He couldn't fight nearly as well with his feet lodged in the snow.

Only a short second more had gone by when the ebony's masked eyes landed on stray rocks a few feet to the man's left. It would be perfect. All he needed to do now was to get the man to follow him.

Quickly, Robin pushed off the rock he was standing and launched through the air. He sprinted the best he could through the thick, soft snow and attacked. His first punch was purposefully blocked by the man and Robin used this to drop down, grab his bo-staff, and swing it to knock the mysterious man off his feet.

Just as Robin expected, the man jumped over his staff, landing right beside the rocks he was hoping for. Robin grinned and cackled, ready to use the rocks to his advantage. He felt a new burst of confidence when he twirled the staff in his hands and charged at the man again.

Rushing forward, Robin danced across the slick surface of the rocks, relying on his acrobatics and balance to keep him from slipping off. When Robin was in close enough range, he thrust his bo-staff into the ground, using it to glide himself through the air and nailed his boots into the man's chest. His opponent staggered back with a loud grunt and Robin back flipped, landing without a sound.

The man stumbled back a few feet before he regained his footing in the snow, the white crystals hardly reaching the middle of his lower leg. Robin's eyes narrowed knowing that the snow reached up to his knees.

"Impressive, Robin, however your attack was too slow. I could have dodged that far too easily."

Robin was taken aback, but he quickly retaliated, "Then why didn't you dodge it?"

His opponent folded his arms over his chest and Robin could scarcely imagine the power he'd be able to put behind his fist. The man's one visible flickered down and back up, scanning over the young hero before him.

"Consider it a bit of an... evaluation."

Robin suppressed a chill from the underlining threatening and cryptic words. Quickly brushing the feeling off, he used the momentum of actually hitting the man the last time. Robin jumped forward again; however, this time, he threw his staff with wicked speed towards his opponent's face and kicked off the last rock to kick the man in his chest again.

The ebony haired teenager could hardly process how quickly the man ripped the staff away from hurdling towards his face without any effort. His eyes widening in shock, Robin couldn't twist himself out of his attack before the stranger grabbed his leg and forced him down to the ground while swinging the staff upright to painfully thwack Robin across the side of his head.

He gasped in agony, his hands rushing to the back of his head. The material was sliced through, and small droplets of blood began oozing our from his broken skin. Robin pushed back his white, snowsuit cowl to reveal his ebony hair and spare mask underneath. Biting down on his lip to keep himself from crying out, Robin forced himself to sit up in the snow as he fought off dizziness and nausea.

Spots suddenly began to dance across his vision, and Robin screwed his eyes shut tightly, working to control his breathing and frantically beating heart. The pounding in his head drummed against his ears and skull in a pulsing, rhythmic way as the blood seeped through his white-gloved fingers.

His recollection was short-lived, however, when the man finally took the offensive side of their dual. The mysterious man drew back his leg and kicked the already ailing Boy Wonder, sending him harshly back against the rocks he expertly skipped across. The sharp edges on the ebony stone tore through the arm of his uniform all too easily and ripped the skin underneath it.

Robin's teeth began to chatter when the cold really hit his bare flesh. He rolled to the side and got back up to his feet, the fuzziness of his vision making it harder to focus with the snowfall and raging headache.

When the man charged again, Robin scarcely managed to slip past his fist and throw a punch of his own. The Boy Wonder yelped in surprise when the assailant grabbed his wrist and twisted it painfully behind the teens back. A small shout of pain slipped past his lips and Robin forced himself to focus on the snow at his feet.

"And right now, you're passing."

_Passing? _Robin thought curiously, _What do you mean passing? _

Before he could ask what he meant, the man pulled his arm further back, successfully being rewarded with a shout of pain from the ebony haired boy. Robin grit his teeth together in an attempt to distract himself from the pain rippling through his arm. His feet sunk low into the snow, chilling his legs and the rest of his body, up to his shaggy, exposed hair and bleeding scalp.

When Robin thought his arm couldn't go back any further, the man somehow forced it back even further. Robin gasped in agony, his arm starting to feel like it was being torn from the rest of his body. His short gasps left wispy trails in the bitter air, and he didn't dare to move out of fear of breaking his arm.

The man's eye narrowed down at the child in front of him. His grayish hue calculating Robin's reactions as though he was just another puzzle. He waited patiently, every so often twisting the ebony's arm just a bit closer to breaking point, for the boy to finally ask him to stop.

Robin screwed his eyes shut very tightly; however, his willpower was beginning to let up on him. He let out another shuttering gasp before he finally caved in.

"Let go." He choked out, teeth continuing go clatter together in a rhythmic, constant pattern. Robin heard the man hum slightly behind himself, as though he was waiting for something more.

The Boy Wonder almost felt tears pricking at the sides of his eyes with each passing second.

"Please, let go." Robin said again, his voice teetering awfully close to begging

Suddenly the frosty snow got much closer and Robin barely caught himself with his hand sinking deep below the surface. His arm fell back to his side as he fell to his knees, freezing in the snow. Robin's left arm pulsing with his heart beat was being held closely to his stomach and being cradled with his other hand.

The man's legs were suddenly in his vision, and Robin's head shot up immediately to see the man's lone eyes looking down at him. Swallowing, Robin stood from were he was, his arm still at his chest.

He stiffened and drew his gaze up past the taller man's chest and shoulders to meet the dark-colored eye within his shadowed face. The thirteen year old almost felt paralyzed, as he could practically feel the other's power radiating off of himself in astronomical waves that could easily compare to Batman's.

Honestly, it scared Robin knowing this stranger could overpower him so easily. Speaking of, the man before Robin brought up a hand to raise the boy's chin just a bit higher so the older man could study him.

"Robin," He said slowly and smoothly. Robin licked his chapped lips uncomfortably, the bitter wind cutting right through him. His nose and cheeks tinted pink and his lips took on an ever so slight blue color. The red blood that meshed with his hair dribbled through his locks and began to stain is cowl pooling at his neck.

His arm and shoulder twitched although the rest of him was frozen in the bitter cold. Robin only now took in the height and muscle difference between himself and the man before him. The ebony haired boy was an inch or two shy of his shoulders and the man's hand could all too easily tighten around his neck.

Robin shivered from both the cold and uneasiness he was feeling as he stared up into the man's eye. The boy's blue eyes hidden behind his mask strained to see anything under the stranger's hood to no avail.

"So you're the Bat's sidekick." The man said. He could almost hear the invisible smirk that was dashed across the man's face.

The thirteen year old's look morphed into a scowl before he spoke, "I'm not his sidekick, I'm his partner."

"Of course," He said, his tone still hinting that a mocking smile graced his features. "However," the man continued, "I'm not interested in the Dark Knight. I'm much more intrigued by your, Robin."

Something in his voice caused the uneasy feeling in his stomach to come back. Robin cast his gazed back downwards towards the man's shoulders, keeping himself from locking stares with the man's single, calculating eye.

"Tell me, dear boy, how long have you been training to fight?"

Despite himself, Robin's gaze trailed back up to met the man's eye again, "Four years." Robin said uncertainly.

The cloaked man nodded, "Interesting." he mused to himself, "And how long for your acrobatics?"

"All my life." Robin said, pride hidden in his words. As proud as he was of his circus, that was information this stranger didn't deserve to know. Acrobatics had been his life since he could walk. It has been his greatest memory of his parents since the accident.

"It shows."

Robin's jaw almost dropped in shock when the man complimented him. His young mind worked to piece together this man's angle, to try to figure out anything that could clue him into some portion of the man's twisted mind. Robin searched the man's eyes for the truth of something, anything really.

It took a few moments before Robin decided to speak, "Who are you?"

A smirk could almost be heard from beneath the man's hood; however, Robin still couldn't see anything. The man slowly shook his head in an authoritative way, and Robin immediately felt inferior to the stranger.

"Don't worry, we'll be meeting again soon. However, I believe you have some important business to tend to."

Before Robin had the opportunity to ask anything more, the hand beneath his chin was gone and the man turned to walk away. Robin felt something buzz on his belt and looked down to his belt pockets to pull out his team's underused communicator. When Robin looked up to answer, the man had already disappeared.

Shaking the though off, Robin narrowed his eyes before he answered, knowing that Batman had ordered radio silence. Robin hit the answer button on his communicator and felt the static begin to buzz in his earpiece.

"Robin here."

_"Dude, what the heck!"_

Robin flinched, bringing his hand to his ear. Kid Flash's voice rung loudly in his ear, not doing much to help his still raging headache.

"What, KF? Batman said radio silence."

He heard Kid Flash scoff on the other line and mutter something to someone beside him,_ "Mission's over, Rob._"

The thirteen year old's eyes widened and he felt his arm go slack, almost dropping the communicator in his hand. He ran forward through the thick snow and grabbed his binoculars to look through them. He didn't see anything, which honestly didn't surprise him.

_"Listen, Rob, I know you didn't think anything was going to happen, but that didn't give you the right to skip out on your job. The shipment got through, none of us saw it coming."_

Robin froze, both anger and guilt rising within him, "No, I didn't mean to-"

_"We'll be at your location in a minute."_

The ebony haired boy kept quiet, dropping his head into his hands. When the Bioship finally reached Robin's location, he still had yet to move from his spot. Hearing the doubt and anger in Wally's voice, his best friend's voice hurt him. The mission failed, the key component for a super weapon got through their defense as though it was a cake walk because of him.

Slowly, Robin trudged back and aboard the ship in bitter silence. He kept his uncovered head low to avoid his teammates' glares. He hadn't done it on purpose, it wasn't supposed to go wrong.

"Way to go, Robin." Artemis said sarcastically, the blonde's arms crossed over his chest. Robin didn't bother to look over at her, and took his seat instead, guilt washing over him. She wasn't the person he was worried about, it was Batman he was afraid to face.

"I was attacked." Robin said, finally bringing his head up to look over everyone. No one was happy to see him and no one moved to ask any further questions. Robin, however, was ready to defend himself, his head was bleeding, there was the evidence of his attack there. They had to believe him, he had proof.

When his statement was followed by a legnthy silence, Robin held up his bloody glove and his torn uniform on his arm, "See. I'm not about to fake hurt myself just to prove a point. I was attacked."

"By who? Artemis asked, her eyes narrowed. Robin opened his mouth to retort, only to close it again. He never actually did learn his attacker's name.

"I'm not sure, he... he never said his name."

Artemis rolled her eyes, ignoring the boy entirely. Robin's jaw dropped in shock, "I-I'm not lying."

The lack of response upset Robin, however, he turned back in his seat, willing to drop the subject. His own mentor and adoptive father figure would definitely believe him. He looked up hopefully at Kid Flash, Wally had to believe him. The redhead had his chin in his hand, a stressed and confused look on his face, as though he was having a mental argument.

_"What happened?"_

Speaking of Batman... Robin's head snapped up to see Batman's dark glare looking over them dangerously. The man's white lenses landed on Aqualad, leader of the mission. The Atlantian remained unalarmed by the sudden amount of pressure.

"The shipment got through, Batman. Robin never received my signal, nor did Kid Flash and Artemis."

Batman's glare quickly turned towards his own partner, who had opted to shrink back into his seat. The ebony looked up at the anger and disappointment in his mentor's face, and he immediately cringed, only guessing what the man would look like underneath the dark cowl over his eyes.

"_Robin_," Batman started as calmly as he could, _"What happened."_

It was a forced statement instead of a question. Robin forced himself to straighten up in his seat, "I didn't do it on purpose, Batman. I got attacked by the man who was sending the shipment."

_"Who was it?"_

"I-I don't know. I couldn't see his face."

Batman almost growled in frustration, _"The League will clean up your mistake, Robin. I'm expecting an explanation from you as well. Get back to the base as soon as possible, get cleaned up, and report back to the mission room. Batman out."_

The window went back to see through to show the mountains once more. Robin frowned and shut his eyes tightly, trying his best to fight off the foreboding dread eating away inside of him.

* * *

**A/N: So there's chapter 2! There was a lot more going on in this chapter, and there will be more of an aftereffect from the mission in the next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews and everything, I seriously appreciate it!**

**See you next update!**

**-Hallo'sEve**


	3. Deception

**A/N: Hey, guys (: I know I'm late on the update, but I had severe writer's block, and I wrote about 4 different versions of this chapter before finding one to settle on.**

**Ignoring that, I don't have much to say other than thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. It always brings a smile to my face to see that readers are actually enjoying what I'm writing. It really is a big help getting feedback, positive or negative. **

**I'm trying to do my best with updates, my goal is very 2 weeks, but that's only with my best luck. But with chapters getting longer, characters actually being developed, and I'm spending a lot more time focusing on each little part, so it's all been adding up, which is sometimes a lot to throw on over homework. Totally babbled on there, but whatever (:**

**Anyways, Chapter 3 is done, and I _should_ be posting a new one-shot within the next week or two also :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**~Thirteen~**

* * *

_Chapter 3_

_October 16, 2012_

_{07:04 PST}_

The flight back to Mount Justice felt endless, the minutes crawling by like years. Robin sat quietly in his chair, wiping the blood off of his scraped arm tenderly. He grappled between different thoughts and theories as he gently ran the cloth over the wet, dripping blood. The color was absorbed by the rag, lightly staining his bare fingers as he went.

His thoughts continued to bump around each other within his skull. The attack, his untrusting teammates, his own mentor who was so furious with him that he couldn't believe his own protegé's word. He couldn't make sense of it, how could he possibly lie about something like this?

Robin grit his teeth out of anger and pain, his head pulsing with his heartbeat. The gash from being hit with the man's bo-staff throbbed with his growing headache. The first hit could have sent anyone normal child out cold, he had been lucky to be able to hand in there a few moments longer. He knew the blood had dribbled down through his hair and now stained his once purely white uniform. It was a sickly feeling that he knew far too well from other brutal encounters.

The boy's arm still ached from it being twisted behind himself against his will. It had been pathetic that he had caved in because of the pain he had felt, he _begged_ for the man to let him go. Robin was furious with himself; a stranger was able to overpower him enough to force the Boy Wonder to swallow his pride and beg.

A small part of him was thankful his team hadn't been there when it happened. It was embarrassing for him to think about, let alone have his older teammates see it. His own actions made him feel weak, like a pathetic child that still struggled to hold his own under pressure.

Suddenly, the Bioship began to rock back and forth, shaking up the passengers with it. Robin dropped the wet rag he momentarily forgot about and gripped the sides of his chair until his knuckles turned white. A sickness began rising in his stomach as him and his teammates faced a forceful shaking by what felt like an invisible force playing Tug-Of-War.

His breathing quickened when his head hit the back of his chair, a sharp pain forcing a small gasp from his lips. Robin held a hand to his closed mouth as the ship finally settled back down. It returned to a smooth speed, straightening out the team inside of it.

"Sorry," M'gann said softly, "It's because of the snowstorm, she has a hard time flying in such a harsh environment."

Robin still hadn't moved his hand from his lips. He felt bile begin to rise in his throat and he quickly stood from his seat, rushing towards the back of the ship. Robin pushed his way through the organic door in the back which lead into a small medical center. Stumbling over towards the small wastebasket, Robin dropped to his knees and threw up.

Back in the front, the team looked at the door Robin so quickly left out of. The bloody rag lie in a crumbled heap before the Boy Wonder's abandoned chair, a mixture of watery blood leaking out from the cloth.

"Should someone go check to see if he's alright?" Superboy asked. He didn't sound energetic enough to go himself, but his plight didn't fall on deaf ears. Artemis shrugged a shoulder, her mystic gray eyes locked gazing out the window along with M'gann's.

Aqualad straightened in his chair, "As his teammates and friends we should. Wally, perhaps you should go because you are Robin's closest friend on this team."

Kid Flash nodded, mentally scolding his teammates for their lack of concern for their youngest teammate. Checking a friend's health was not a burden, and they had no right to imply such a thing. He kept his mouth shut, however, seeing as he wasn't innocent either. He hadn't listened to Robin's story at first, even though he should have.

Getting up to his feet, Kid Flash followed in the ebony haired boy's footsteps. When he entered the compacted room, he saw Robin on his knees and hunched over the wastebasket. Kid Flash quickly went to Robin's side, squatting beside the boy and putting his hand on Robin's back.

He moved his hand up to hold Robin's shoulder back and kept his face out of the garbage bin as he heaved again. Robin reached out and grasped Kid Flash's arm as he continued to violently cough up his stomach's continents into the wastebasket. His throat burned and the disgusting smell of vomit reached his nose in toxic waves.

Kid Flash turned his head away with Robin's final cough into the bin. He squeezed Robin's shoulder gently as the younger boy sat back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Robin's face was exceptionally pale with small beads of sweat on his forehead. Kid Flash removed his glove and reached out to push the boy's bangs out from over his face, resting his hand on Robin's forehead. He was much warmer than he should be; he must have gotten sick in the bitter cold.

Robin gently slapped Kid Flash's hand away and pushed himself off the floor. He shook as he made his way over to the medical table and sat down on the icy metal table. Kid Flash got up as well and moved his cowl back off of his head, fully exposing his freckled face. He walked towards a medical cabinet, taking out a few supplies and carrying them over to the table.

He reached out and tore off the rest of Robin's carved sleeve, letting it fall into a crumpled heap beside them. Robin sighed and leaned back against the wall, his eyes shut behind his mask. The wall rewarded him with a cooling feeling on his cut head and helped calm his raging headache slightly.

Wally held Robin's arm at full length, taking the roll of gauze and began to wrap the many cuts. He worked at a slow pace, watching the white bandages go from a vibrant white to a bloody red. As he came to a finish, Wally secured the bandage and wiped his bloodied fingers on the surface of the medical table.

"Are you sure you didn't recognize who attacked you?" Wally asked, sitting up on the table with Robin to wrap the cut on the back of Robin's head. Robin obediently leaned forward when Wally gently tugged on his shoulders. He kept his eyes shut, working to keep himself from throwing up what little he still had left.

"Now you believe me?" He managed to harshly ask. His throat still itched with an uncomfortable burn, but he forced himself to ignore it. Robin wasn't going to turn the other cheek until he had an answer. He deserved an explanation for such distrust and hostility towards him from his own teammates.

Wally didn't reply right away, and instead took wrapping Robin's head as his top priority. He covered the cut with decent skill and finished just as quickly as he did Robin's arm. When Wally stepped off the table to return the medical supplies to their spots, Robin fell against the wall again. His breathing had returned to normal, but his face remained a stark white.

After Wally closed the medical cabinet, he turned half way, glancing back at Robin over his shoulder, "It's not that I didn't believe you, Rob. I was just frustrated. It was too soon to be back in the field after that mission stimulation. We're all too on edge. I'm sure everyone believes you, but its been hard for all of us."

Robin was hardly listening, but he nodded anyways. He felt sick; his head and arm were throbbing, his throat burned, and he couldn't think straight. "I'm cold." He muttered quietly, more to himself than the other boy. Wally walked elsewhere in the room and returned with a small pillow and thin blanket. He took Robin's ruined sleeve to wipe of the blood he smudged onto the table and placed the pillow down.

"Lay down and get some rest, dude. It'll be awhile before we get home." Wally told the sick teenager. Robin happily obliged, laying down on the table as Wally placed the blanket over Robin's small form.

As Wally turned to walk out of the room, Robin's voice stopped him, "I didn't recognize him." The boy had said, talking about Wally's first question, "He wore a cloak, I couldn't tell who he was by his voice or anything. He was strong and just... better than me. I couldn't even land a hit on him."

By the time Robin finished speaking, his voice had dropped to a quiet whisper before he began coughing again. Wally sighed, using his superspeed to clean out the wastebasket from before and placing it beside the medical bed.

"Don't worry about it too much. Just try to get some sleep." Wally said, walking out the door and shutting it quietly behind himself.

-X-

_October 17, 2012_

_{12:41 EST}_

"Which of you is going to explain to me what happened." Batman growled darkly, his glare stretching to all corners of the room. Robin's gaze dropped down to his white snowshoes as he listened to Batman's shoes tap lightly against the ground with each step his mentor took until they stopped right before him.

He closed his eyes, keeping his breathing at a slow pace to hopefully calm his stomach. With more shaking during the rest of the flight home, Robin ended up vomiting quite a few more times. The boy had kept his small form curled beneath the blanket, the thin quilt hardly providing any warmth.

He stood now with the same thin blanket hugged still tightly around his shaking form. Batman had yet to show any concern him or his injuries, but it hardly phased the Boy Wonder. Even though his mentor was overprotective, Robin never got the light of day when there was a mission in the way.

"Robin."

His head immediately snapped up, locking eyes with Batman behind the man's cowl. Robin straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin causing his bangs to fall over his eyes slightly.

"The mission failed because I-... I hadn't seen Aqualad's signal." Robin said quietly. His voice had grown hoarse and speaking made his throat burn again. Batman's jaw seemed to tighten when the boy finished speaking. Robin wasn't sure if it was out of anger and frustration or if it was because he was sick. He would probably never know either.

Batman continued to speak, "The League is currently locating the shipment to recover it and clean up your mistakes. Training tomorrow is canceled due to the both the failed stimulation and mission. You could all use some time off tomorrow. You're dismissed."

Even as the heroes left the room, tension still hung in the air between Batman and Robin. Without warning, Batman cupped Robin's cheek in his hand, feeling how hot the boy was without removing his glove. Robin shoved Batman's arm away and turned on his heels to walk towards the ZETA tube transporters. He stepped inside of the large machinery with Batman a few steps behind him, and together, the two were transported back to the alleyways of Gotham City.

All the thoughts of spending the night at the Mount Justice with the teammates had simply been blown away. Robin knew Batman would never let him stay now, seeing that he is both sick and in deep trouble. He swore that he could feel the anger flowing off of Batman in dark waves and that he silence coming from his mentor now was merely the calm before the storm.

Robin cringed as they stepped out of the phone booth, icy rain striking his already freezing form. With the first step his boot splashed into a puddle of chilled water, the substance quickly rippling away from his foot like mice running from a hungry cat.

As Robin looked down, he saw his distorted image in the moving water. His hair fell over his forehead like cheap curtains, barely sweeping over his right eye. The continued downpour stuck his ebony hair to his face and wet his bandages, causing them to sag slightly from their positions. Batman stepped forward and passed Robin, causing the light hardly peek out through the misty clouds to shine down on the boy, only to be covered by a dark storm cloud again.

He followed Batman over into the Batmobile, jumping into the car smoothly after him. Despite himself, Robin sunk back into the chair as far as he could as though it would allow him to phase through it. He remained silent, making no sound other than his own, shaking breathing. The blanket was wrapped tightly around him like a snake would around its prey.

The silence was beginning to suffocate him. He couldn't tell if Batman's quietness was out of anger or worry, but he could still feel Batman's occasional glance towards him; however, Robin refused to acknowledge him, keeping his eyes locked out the window.

Eventually, the duo pulled into the Batcave, the car coming to a screeching halt. Robin had never climbed out of the vehicle faster even though his health condition held him back greatly. He removed his mask becoming Richard Grayson once more and followed Batman to the supercomputer where Batman furiously typed on the keyboard to locate he lost shipment.

"Bruce," Dick started quietly, "I didn't mean for the mission to go wrong. I-I know I said the mission was a waste, but I still-"

"You got distracted, Dick. I put you on watch for Kaldur'ahm's signal because I thought that you wouldn't get distracted. I trained you to be more alert, to know better. You have the most experience, Richard, you weren't taught to make mistakes."

Dick looked down, gently rubbing his arm, "I know, I'm sorry, Bruce. I tried to fight him, but I couldn't. It was his shipment, he was there to make sure it got through."

Bruce remained silent, his fingers dancing across the keyboard of the supercomputer. His eyes narrowed in concentration and he paused for no longer than a second before typing again. The computer made a series of beeping sounds as it searched restlessly to track down the energy core.

After a few more seconds, the screen lit up again, and a red dot appeared on the screen moving at a rapid pace. Batman pulled his cowl back over his head and touched his communicator located over his ear.

"Batman to Justice League. I have the coordinates, sending them now. I'll be taking the jet and do not engage in battle. Batman out."

Dick gripped his mask tighter in his hand, looking up at his mentor, "Let me come with. I can help."

"You've done enough today, Dick. Also, you're sick and hurt. You're staying home." Batman said harshly yet quietly, only speaking loud enough for the ebony haired boy to hear him. Dick turned his head to the side, glaring down at the floor in frustration as Batman made his way over to the Batwing.

"Don't you care at all, Batman?" Dick hissed suddenly, his expressing melting back into a scowl when he looked back up at Batman, "I was attacked by some stranger who _coincidentally_ was at my location, and you don't even care?"

Batman hopped into the machinery and looked back at Dick, "I do care, Dick, however, getting this core is on the top of my priority list."

"Even over your own son?"

Dick didn't sound hurt; in fact, he sounded angry, snappish. No one seemed to understand the severity of the attacker as he did. Dick knew it wasn't an ordinary man; it wasn't just someone off of the streets. No, this man had a purpose, a goal. And Dick could be a huge part of it without even knowing it.

"We will discuss this after the core is in League hands." After the last word had been uttered, the engine kicked into life and the door closed over the Caped Crusader. He then opened up the hatch into Gotham and flew into the city.

The wind rushing by fluttered Dick's blanket and matted hair before it swept over his forehead again. The young adult scowled and marched upstairs, avoiding Alfred and shutting himself in his room. He changed from his uniform into something more comfortable before he sat down and opened his laptop.

He needed to hack into the Justice League files to see if he could just maybe pick up a lead on his mysterious attacker. Dick took in a deep breath before beginning to hack into the mainframe. He secured his comforter around himself, abandoning the medical blanket in a laundry basket. He turned the brightness on his screen down to refrain from hurting his tired eyes and further fueling his headache.

After the first few minutes Dick cursed loudly realizing Batman had upped the security since his first time hacking into the Justice League computer back when the team wasn't even a thought yet. The tapping of keys was heard at a such a rapid pace Dick could have sworn he was challenging Kid Flash's speed.

"Come on..." Dick whispered as he leaned in closer to the screen and awaited his results. He drummed his fingers roughly against his desk without forming a constant rhythm and he frantically tapped his foot against the floor with it.

'ACCESS DENIED'

Dick growled in frustration, pushing away from his desk and leaning into his chair. He put his elbows on the desk and allowed his head to fall dramatically into his hands with a aggravated sigh.

"Access denied." He muttered bitterly, slowly bringing his head back up. Resting his chin on an open palm, Dick scowled at the computer screen before him, the technology mocking him as though he were the classroom dunce. He forced his aches into the back of his mind and he pursed his lips before diving into his hacking once more.

Another ten minutes breezed by filled with nothing other than the pattering of keyboard keys and occasional groan from the Boy Wonder. He had tried everything he knew to override the system, all the things Batman taught him. How could the man have managed to reset the security so high his own protegé couldn't even hack into it?

Again, Dick tried all the other techniques he knew, each of them ending up being blocked by another firewall. Within a span of another twenty minutes, Dick reached the last firewall, punching the final way he knew to break down the security.

'ACCESS GRANTED'

"Yes." Dick said in relief, spinning in his chair with satisfaction. He laughed happily, grabbing hold of the desk to pull himself to a stop right before the laptop screen.

As the screen pulled up, Dick was hit with a barrage of different names in order of most recently updated. His eyes scanned down list of the first ten, unable to recognize any of the names. With a sigh, he opened up the very first title. An image of a short and stumpy man with a cane appeared on the screen. Dick scoffed and went back to pick another criminal. There was no way his attacker was that stump of a man.

Minutes had merged into hours when Dick finally opened the last file in the League's Database. His eyes cascaded down the page, reading and absorbing every detail he could from the short excerpt on the criminal. Nothing proved to be useful to the Boy Wonder, so he forcefully closed his laptop and slammed his fist down onto the open space on the desk beside it.

All the criminals had two eyes, save for few who thought the eye patch was cool back when they were arrested in 2006, and most of them were in jail. Those who weren't behind bars were shy of his attacker's nearly 6'4 height stature and impressive martial arts skills that could effortlessly rival his own.

Dick scrolled to the top again, going through the list again. He easily could have missed a name or two because of his lack of focus due to his headache. It had ranged from Amazo, to Sportsmaster, and to names Dick didn't recognize, and none of the images stood out to him, but he was determined to find the truth and continued his search anyways.

After another hour, Dick's finger froze, his eyes locked with the screen. There was a triple-encrypted file that didn't open with the rest when he hacked in originally. Swallowing, Dick got back to work, hacking past the multiple firewalls and other locks that tricked him up his first try.

It took him a few minutes longer than he anticipated; however, when he typed in the final code he knew, all the firewalls fell down, granting him access to the file. A triumphant grin graced the small boy's features when he clicked the link another time, this time receiving access.

His smirk quickly fell to a tight line and his eyes narrowed in confusion. It wasn't a file he was blocked from, it was an entire network. He scrolled down past dozens of hidden files, each of them locked tightly with new securities he wasn't sure if he could get past. His cerulean eyes darted up and down the page, trying to decide on a spot to start. He leaned in closely to the screen, a blue-green hue lighting up his face.

"Master Richard."

Dick jumped, his hand grazing over the 'X' button in the corner of the page and finger tapping the mouse key ever so slightly. He grit his teeth in anger when the page closed and he shut the laptop closed again and turned in his chair to face Alfred.

"Yeah, Alfred?"

The Englishman warily looked over Dick's shoulder, "Master Bruce has returned and is in his study. He would like to have a word with you before bed."

Bed? Dick's eyes flickered towards the alarm clock on his bedside table. The numbers in orange flashed off of the black face of the clock reading 11:13. He had really done research for nearly twelve hours?

Dick stood up from his chair and nodded, leaving his warm blanket where it was, "Thanks, Alfred." He muttered before stalking out of his room and making his way towards Bruce's study. Dick's steps echoed ever so slightly in the bare halls before he reached the fine wood and expensive door knobs that lead through the double doorway into Bruce's enormous study.

He rested his hand on the door, taking in a deep breath, and then reaching for the door knob to pull the door open. The door opened with a quiet creak and Dick stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"How'd the mission go, Bruce?" The young teenager asked quietly and awkwardly, biting his lower lip as he took his seat across from Bruce. The man looked up from his work for a moment and scanned over his adoptive son for the first time since the younger returned form the mission. The bandaging job was only sightly above par, so he figured that Alfred hadn't been given the time to fix them. Dick did look better, however, and was talking better than before. Bruce looked back down at his work before responding.

"Poorly. When the helicopter took the shipment away it stopped at a recon point. When Superman, Flash, and I went in to take it back we were ambushed by a fleet of robots. By the time we cleared them out, the energy core was moved to a different helicopter. The original one was filled with time bombs and forced immediate evacuation. We weren't able to pick up another trace or lead."

Dick's eyes fell down to his lap, observing his hands resting on his knees, "Oh." he said quietly. An awkward spell of silence fell over the already quiet room, and Dick felt as though the books had eyes and were staring right through him.

"Richard,"

The boy snapped his head up, locking eyes with his mentor. He could see how tired Bruce looked, the slight bags under his navy blue eyes, the lost, almost bored look in his eyes as well. The man was already flying on three hours of sleep and he probably wasn't planning on getting much more tonight.

Dick didn't look much better, but he gave Bruce his attention. He quit fiddling with a loose string on the hem of his shirt and instead gripped the arms of his chair lightly.

"I want you to explain to me who attacked you. You keep saying the shipment was a set up. Why? Is that what your attacker told you?"

He hesitated a moment, "Not exactly. I mean... I just got the impression that it had been a set up. He... he never actually said." The lie didn't come out as smoothly as he hoped it would have. Bruce wouldn't have believed him anyways. Why would Bruce deserve to know the truth if he was just going to spit on it and throw it back in his face?

Bruce sighed, "Dick, I've told you about how it's dangerous to make assumptions. But tell me more about this man. Could you see any important facial features? Anything at all?"

Biting the inside of his cheek, Dick shook his head, "No. I told you, he was wearing a cloak. I couldn't see his eyes, a hair color, or anything. He was tall, about your height, but I'm not sure, we were fighting in snow."

Slowly, Bruce nodded, rubbing his hands over his eyes. Dick let out a silent sigh in relief, relaxing back into his chair more. He didn't tell Wally any extra details and he wouldn't tell Bruce anything either. He was thirteen now, he would be more than capable of handling this investigation on his own.

A thought crossed Dick, however. What if he was making the wrong choice by not telling his own mentor all that he actually knew? He also had a few questions to ask Bruce of his own. Answers he deserved to know such as, why he had to continuously hack into League Systems when he was the first sidekick, or why Bruce had an entire sea of triple encrypted files stored deeply away in all the stacked up data.

"No patrol tonight, Dick-"

Dick's head immediately snapped up, "What? Bruce, that's not fair. You can't keep taking me off of patrol!"

The scowl that was aimed towards Dick shut him up after his final outburst. Bruce shook his head with a disappointed look etched into his face. Dick grit his teeth in anger, crossing his arms over his chest and letting out a huff of air.

"As you mentor, I can do what I want. With all your screw ups today, you are not going on patrol for the rest of the week-" Dick opened his mouth to retort to Bruce's statement; however, the older man put up a hand, "No buts, Richard. You're sick, and after the training exercise, it's far too soon to send you back out in the field like that."

At the mention of the failed training stimulation, Dick closed his mouth and sunk back into his chair. His eyes drifted to the floor beside Bruce's fancy desk, an understandable silence coming from the Boy Wonder.

"Finish any other homework you have for tonight and then straight to bed, alright?"

Dick glanced back up before nodding and getting to his feet, "Night, Bruce." he muttered, turning towards the door. Bruce's eyes traced after the ebony haired boy as he made his way to the door of the study, turning the knob and leaving.

"Goodnight."

-X-

**A/N:**

**I've seriously had the worst weekend. So Saturday night I'm home alone and I kept hearing noises and I seriously thought someone broke into my house. I tapped into Robin-Mode and taped a pair of scissors to my leg and a steak knife to my wrist and carried along with two other huge knives and a baseball bat. I even went over knife throwing techniques to make sure I'd hit said intruder pointy side first.**

**I ended up running out my front door to my neighbor's house, but whatever. There was no one actually there though, so everything is perfectly fine, other than the fact of how terrified I was.**

**It was relatively horrible, actually, but I managed. So to help me get over my scare, I'd love some reviews and love from you guys (: It always makes me smile.**

**Oh, and before I forget, the Rob and Wally scene was just the boys being bros. As much as I ship Birdflash, I'm keeping this fic free of all ships, so no slash or cannon anything. I'm doing this for the sake of not having to write romance, and to keep the main focus on the story obvious as can be.**

**I've added on to this note like 100 times because of like my dozens of re-writes to this one. stupid. chapter. And I'm still not happy with it, its all just too icky and rushed. But, you guys really deserve am update, and summer is finally around the corner.**

**Since you've made it to the end of my rather lengthy author's note, you might as well leave a review, right?**

**-Hallo'sEve**


	4. Enigma

**A/N: Hey (:**

**So this time I purposefully started this chapter right away so I can hopefully get back on track with updates, even though I've been far from consistent thus far. (As you can see, I have failed yet again). But seriously, thank you all _so_ much for the reviews, follows, and favorites. It really means so much, and I can't thank any of you enough for taking the time to read my story. I love writing and storytelling, and to finally share it with people is just... crazy, really.**

**But now that summer is here, I'm going to have so much more time for writing, and I"m super excited for it! Hopefully, I'll finally update on time ;)**

**We're going to see much more from the team this chapter and plenty of reactions and interactions between characters, but I'm not writing any pairings at all throughout my fic.**

**Another thing, I recommend paying attention to the time and dates because they're somewhat important and give a sense of how much time is passing between each scene, even if it is an hour or two difference. And it's in army time in case you catch that right away. Oh, and I'll most likely refer to Slade as Slade and not Deathstroke.**

**But, we aren't quite that far yet, and there is still so much more to happen before Dickie gets into any _serious_ trouble.**

**Chapter 4**

**-X-**

_October 18, 2012_

_{02:13 EST}_

When Dick returned to his room, he immediately continued to his research, re-hacking back into the mainframe after closing it out when Alfred had scared him. He sat uncomfortably, ashamed that he let Alfred sneak up on him like that. Even if he was the butler of Wayne Manor, Dick was still the Boy Wonder, in or out of costume. No one should be able to ever sneak up on him other than Batman.

His attacker was able to...

Dick couldn't shake off the eerie feeling he got when the man crossed his mind. It sent a chill down his spine that racked his whole body; the idea that he knew next to nothing about this man. The man was an enigma, a puzzle that was missing more than a few pieces, and Dick didn't even know what the last image was supposed to be.

The memory was so fresh he could still feel the cold wind biting at his face, the frost coating his hair, and not to mention the bitter chill that enveloped him like a heavy blanket. However, it was not just the weather that chilled him, but it was also the man in the cloak as well. He mentioned an evaluation, even saying that Dick was passing. Dick didn't know how to react. Should he be proud or scared?

As Dick continued to ponder the suspicious man, his and Bruce's conversation drifted across his thoughts. Immediately Dick felt guilty, pulling the blanket tighter around himself and adjusting his place on his computer chair. Bruce was the closest thing he had to a father; he was the one man that he could always look up to.

And now he couldn't even tell that same man the truth?

Dick bit his lip and looked away from his shining laptop screen. The moon had risen and now trickled into his room, casting a trail of white light which traced the lining of his carpeted floor and sharply curved up the wall. He purposefully looked away from the moonlight, keeping his eyes trapped in the darkness because he knew that at this time, the moon perfectly illuminated his Flying Graysons poster. He couldn't look at his parents knowing that he was lying to the one man he had left.

At that point, Dick rose from his chair and closed his curtains, stopping the light from coming into the room. He then proceeded to lock his bedroom door before coming back to his seat once more. He didn't want any distractions, nor did he want Bruce or Alfred walking in on him again.

Speaking of Alfred, should he tell the old Englishman the truth?

It was a silly idea. If Dick was in any real trouble the loyal butler wouldn't hesitate to tell Bruce the truth. He didn't know why, but he just didn't want Bruce to know the full story. It could have been the resentment he still felt towards his mentor just as easily as it could have been Dick's own pride. Losing the fight knocked him off his pedestal, and he was determined to get back.

He was the Boy Wonder, but he was by no means invincible. Words still hurt him, he couldn't stand being alone and isolated, and old wounds never seemed to heal. He was too human, he had too many emotions.

But since when was that a bad thing?

Dick mentally shook himself, not knowing why he was asking himself such questions. With the mask on he had to be strong, fearless. There was no question about it. He was someone to be looked up to; he had to be a warrior for those who couldn't be ones for themselves. That was what made him a hero.

However, this fight made him wonder if he was truly as good as he thought.

The two hardly fought, they hardly even spoke to each other, but Dick couldn't help but feel intimidated. As tough as he was, he was small, thin, and the man he dueled had been tall and muscular beyond reason. Dick wished he had a name to call the man; he was dying to know just who this enigma was.

And the unknown drove him even further to find out the truth. This was why he didn't need help; he didn't need Bruce or anyone else to hold his hand and guide him. He was thirteen, the first sidekick, the Boy Wonder, and the Batman's only student. He was more than capable to handle this on his own. The fight hadn't even been fair, the terrain was nearly impossible to move on. Dick was an acrobat, he couldn't be shackled to the ground in such a way.

Something inside of Dick just knew that he was going to come across the man again. His attacker had seemed so calm, so curious about him, that Dick was sure that they would both be tracking each other down.

Yet that was what made Dick feel so uneasy. It was that he had never seen or met this man before, but he knew so much about Dick, and Dick didn't even know the man's name. He was always a step ahead of Dick, leading him in some sort of dance that only the man could hear the music to.

And that alone was enough to be terrifying.

It had only been their first encounter, the first time he even knew a man like that existed; however, he opponent acted as though they had been friends for ages now. Dick was sure it could not have been any villains he knew. There was no villain that could compare to the way this man had controlled him even more so than Bruce did during training.

Perhaps the shipment was not the only thing that was a set up. The one-eyed man made it clear that he could take Dick out with a single blow if he wanted to. What if the man had influenced his moves before Dick even thought of them himself? Could his enemy have been a psychic or another villain with superhuman abilities?

The only other villain Dick could think of who managed to defeat him without a real fight was Lord Kobra on the Santa Prisca mission. Dick warily scrolled on his laptop until he found the file on Kobra and opened it up. A scratchy image of the man popped up along with a short description of Kobra as well. Examining the image as closely as possible, Dick could make out the man's pale skin and crimson cloak.

Dick gently bit the inside if his lip, his eyes trailing down the small paragraph. Kobra could fit the description. Tall, powerful, and with a cloak; however, it didn't explain the man's single eye or the interest in the boy himself. And his attacker's personality seemed much different compared to Kobra's personality. The mysterious man was much more calm and collected, where as Kobra was full of pride and hardly took Dick as a serious threat.

Motive for being in the Rockies was missing as well. Any of Kobra Venom buyers were nowhere near the icy mountain tops of the Rocky Mountains, not to mention Kobra's blatant dislike towards Dick. But if it wasn't Kobra, _who_ was it?

It definitely wasn't Sportsmaster, either. The man was hardly interested in his own daughters, let alone Dick. Ra's al Ghul didn't fit the description either. They didn't sound alike, nor did they even fight similarly.

Dick closed the top of his laptop down harshly, banishing him into the darkness of his room. He climbed into his bed and settled down, staring up at the ceiling. Who could it have possibly been? It must have been someone who knew him prior to this event, someone from Gotham. Queen Bee or perhaps Simon would have the ability to control someone to fight him.

Simon would have been able to see Dick's move's coming before he saw them himself. Dick was a skilled fighter and an acrobat, no one but his own mentor was capable of knowing what his next move would be. Only his mentor should have power over him and the skills to take him down in under five moves.

He _had_ to be overreacting to all of this. There was no way his moves could be predicted in such a way; he couldn't be manipulated like that. This man couldn't be as good as Bruce either. Like Wally said, he was just off his game today. In a fair rematch, Dick would be able to hold his own and bring down his opponent with ease.

At least that's what he would tell himself.

-X-

_October 19, 2012_

_{11:38 EST}_

_Recognized__ Robin B-0-1_

The five teens in the cave all sat up and exchanged glances. Not a single sound had come out of Gotham since the mission failure. Even the crime rate was surprisingly low for the dark city. It was a bit odd, but no one was going to complain. All emotions were still tense and it felt as though you couldn't move without having someone or something watching your every move.

When Robin walked into the room it was as though Death himself came through the door. He was in his civvies, wearing a long-sleeved shirt to cover the thick, white bandages coiling around his arm and his favorite pair of sunglasses to cover his azure eyes. Autumn was always a chilly season in Gotham, so Robin wore black sweatpants instead of his usual jeans.

He shifted uncomfortably under everyone's gaze, awkwardly putting a hand on the back of his neck and biting down on his lower lip. If anything, Robin was surprised to see Wally speechless for once.

"Hi, Robin." M'gann gently offered, turning back towards the mixing bowl at her hip. Aqualad stood beside her, leaning against the counter top. His tattooed arms remained folded over his chest and his head tilted towards the floor. Robin didn't offer her a greeting in return; he couldn't help but feel so unwelcome. He had thought that seeing his teammates and family would be a relief after the failed training exercise, but he got no such comfort from it. Honestly, even seeing Batman made him feel worse.

Robin finally moved from the doorway, taking a seat on the green armchair. He distanced himself from everyone else and rested his hands on his small knees, lightly grabbing them.

The silence fell heavily on his shoulders as though it was literally weighing him down. With each breath he took, the feeling grew stronger and more constricting around him. Was it guilt that was making him feel like the walls were closing in? Robin felt his own breathing get quicker- why was he panicking?

"Robin?" His head shot right up, M'gann was right in front of him. Her eyebrows were knit together lightly and she was studying him curiously, "Are you alright? I just got hit with a sense of all these... emotions and-"

"I'm fine," Robin cut her off. When he saw her expression go from worried to hurt he quickly added, "Thanks for asking... but I'm fine."

She eventually strolled back to the kitchen with a small nod of her head. She picked up her mixing bowl and where she had left off in her cookbook. Robin forced himself look away from her though; he wasn't _fine_. He wasn't even sure if he'd ever be fine again.

Robin could admit the mission stimulation bothered him more than he let on. He didn't want anyone to know his pain, and thankfully, his research distracted him from the sick feeling that grew in his stomach every time he though about that _stupid_ training session. However, sitting here with his actual teammates he'd thought that he was never going to see again made him feel worse about it.

Oddly enough, Conner looked up from staring blankly at his hands, opening his mouth to speak, "I can't-" He hesitated for a moment, bringing up his hand to go through his dark hair, "I can't be the only one that is still affected by this."

That caught everyone's attention. It took a few seconds to settle in, but eventually they all broke. M'gann and Kaldur made their ways over, taking seats in the living room with everyone else. Despite the strong front they all up, they knew it wasn't going to last forever.

"I've never been so scared before." Wally said quietly. He was shocked he said that aloud. His mouth always ran faster than his brain did; however, it was the truth. And trusting each other was the only thing that they really needed right now.

Artemis shut her eyes before speaking, "I thought it was all over. I died- I thought it was the end of the world... and that none of us were going to make it out alive."

"It has been hard on all of us," Kaldur said, "But it was indeed an accident. It helped us grow stronger."

"But was it necessary?" Conner's voice was low and harsh, "Did we all have to die- to lose _everything_, just to become closer with each other?"

The same silent curse was cast upon the room again. If anything, Robin felt more distant from his teammates than ever. Batman was right; they needed to be prepared for a situation like that, but it was frightening. Robin wasn't ready to lose his closest friends to death so morbidly. He didn't want to lose anyone else.

"It was my fault." M'gann's voice was quiet, but Robin could hear she was close to tears, "I made the mission go wrong, I-"

Robin looked over at her and cut her off, "M'gann, stop. It wasn't your fault. If it had been any one of us in your shoes, the same thing would have happened. The stimulation was wrong from the beginning, there was no stopping this."

There was a silent agreement, a silence that was welcomed for once. No one spoke after that, it was too hard to talk about.

Nearly ten minutes had rolled by when Robin noticed a pair of mystic gray eyes narrowed in his direction, belonging to no one other than Artemis herself. Her hair was pulled back into a low pony tail which cascaded over her sharp shoulder and her mouth remained a tight, straight line. Robin's own shielded eyes lowered in confusion.

"What?" He asked harshly. The others all looked up abruptly, their eyes drifting between the archer and Boy Wonder. Robin was not in the mood for any attitude from the blonde haired girl right now.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just ironic for you to say that the mission going haywire wasn't her fault." Artemis sarcastically replied with a short shrug of her shoulder. Robin rolled his eyes and shook his head, suddenly annoyed with the girl. Was she really going to approach him on this after the heart-to-heart they all just shared?

"Seriously?" Wally asked during the silence, "That's what you've been so angry about the past few days?"

Artemis sharply turned towards him and smacked the side of his head, glaring at him, "No, I'm mad because Bird Boy blew the entire mission!" She shouted, throwing out an arm for emphasis.

"I didn't blow the mission." Robin hissed, gritting his teeth together to stop himself from lashing out.

"The entire mission failed because you didn't see Kaldur's signal! And you have the nerve to say that it wasn't your fault?" She yelled at the younger boy. She sat back as far as she could on the couch, folding her arms over her chest. M'gann walked over to Artemis as if to say something, but the words never left her mouth.

"It _wasn't_ my fault. I was attacked."

Artemis rolled her eyes, "I'm not so sure, Rob. You can't even say who your _attacker_ was."

She put enough emphasis on the word 'attacker' to make Robin's blood boil. The youngest teenager breathed in roughly before tugging up his sleeve, revealing the white and red bandages. He would have winced at the sudden and fierce movement, but Robin was too infuriated to care.

"You think I did this to myself?!" He shouted, scowling at the rest of the team, "Do you all think I did?!"

Kaldur put his hands up, "Robin, please, none of us think you hurt yourself on purpose."

"Who knows," Artemis dismissively said, waving her hand to the side, "He could have brought a bat-a-rang with him."

Robin almost growled at her, but somehow managed to control himself. He pulled up the hem of his shirt and furiously grabbed a bat-a-rang from his belt, "Or how about I take this bat-a-rang and shove it up your-"

"Enough!" Kaldur finally shouted, stepping between Robin and Artemis, "You two are teammates and friends. This arguing is unnecessary; we cannot change the past and we cannot change what happened. "

Robin narrowed his eyes and lowered his weapon, putting the boomerang back into his utility belt. He then pulled down the sleeve of his shirt again, angrily crossing his thin arms over his chest. The ebony haired boy still couldn't figure out why Artemis would even call him out on such a thing; he would _never_ lie about something as serious as this.

A short silence fell between everyone before Artemis stood up and shoved past Kaldur to look down at Robin, "I'd like to see you try." She growled, her eyes narrowed dangerously like a cat ready to attack.

"Believe me, Artemis. I can."

As the words left his lips, Robin flipped backwards and withdrew the bat-a-rang from his belt again. This time, however, he whipped it at the blonde haired girl, and he didn't care where it was aimed. The adrenaline in his veins was fueled by fury and rage and the look in his hidden eyes shone darker than usual.

Artemis gasped when the weapon flew from Robin's hand. The sleek, red object hurdled straight towards her face at such a fast pace that she scarcely dodged it and the bat-a-rang cut through her long hair. The was a slight ripping sound before a loud clamor as the boomerang collided into the cabinets behind her and stuck in the wood.

Her eyes wide, Artemis looked over at Robin, "What are you doing? That could have killed me!"

"Robin!" M'gann shouted, horror smudged across her face. She wasn't the only one. Everyone in the room was looking at Robin with wide eyes and their jaws dropped. The could have expected Superboy to blow up like that, but never from the calm and collected Boy Wonder. Despite the looks, Robin remained unphased, feeling as though he did nothing wrong.

"Rob," Wally began, "You can't just-"

Artemis cut him off by pushing herself off the ground and rushing towards Robin. She kicked off the coffee table and aimed a strong kick towards Robin. The boy ducked down just as she was about to hit his chest, allowing her to fly over him. Artemis twisted herself in the air and successfully landed on her feet behind Robin.

Again, Robin dropped to the ground, kicking his leg out and sweeping under the archer's feet. Artemis hopped over Robin's leg and kicked the Boy Wonder, aiming directly for his face. On instinct, Robin used his arm to block his face. The boy almost cried out in pain when her foot collided with the scrapes and bruises on his arm, but he forced himself to remain silent.

"Artemis! Robin! Stop it!" M'gann shouted. No one moved, however, other than Robin and Artemis. The ebony haired boy was blown back into the chair he once occupied by the force of the kick with a loud grunt. He then flipped over the back of the couch, landing silently into a well-practiced crouch.

Robin rolled to the side, taking out a bat-a-rang in the process and whipping it in Artemis's direction as he cleared past the couch. The weapon soared through the air, successfully scraping against Artemis's arm and leaving a thin cut in its path. Blood seeped out from the cut, trailing down her left arm. Artemis gasped and put her hand over it. The sticky blood then squeezed between her fingers and continued down its path.

"M'gann, can't you stop them?" Wally shouted, "Use your powers or something!" However, the martian was too distracted to do anything other than watch. She appeared horrified.

From his spot, Robin got up and sprinted forward, aiming for Artemis's shoulder with a roundhouse kick. The girl felt only the wind of his foot flying by as she dipped her shoulder down, allowing Robin's foot to barely glide by. She reacted by elbowing Robin in the stomach and kicking the back of his leg. Robin hit the ground with a hard thud, but he quickly rolled to the side and away from her boot about to hammer down on his chest.

"_What_ are you all doing?"

The four unhurt teens flinched at the sound of Black Canary's voice. Robin and Artemis remained where they were, their chests rising up and down faster than the others'. No one dared to speak up to the furious Justice League member.

"I came here to talk to you six and I find you two fighting each other!" Black Canary yelled, "And don't even try to say it was a sparing match."

She reached up and ripped the bat-a-rang out of the cabinet roughly. Black Canary proceeded to drop it on the ground at Robin's feet. The boy slowly took it and got up from the floor, still glaring at Artemis. The girl gave him the same scowl in return, holding her hand over the cut she obtained.

Black Canary fiercely grabbed Robin's injured arm unknowingly and pulled him to the side. "I'll talk with you first, Robin." She said, pulling him with her. Robin grit his teeth in pain before yanking his arm away. The senior member harshly glared at the boy, but made no move to grab his arm again. The two stalked out of the room.

"Clean that room up!" Black Canary shouted before shutting the door behind Robin and herself. She stomped past Robin, her shoulders tensed and fist clenched to the side. Taking her seat, she gestured with one hand for Robin to do the same.

"Sit."

It irritated Robin how she spoke in the same tone a mother would use to sold a child; however, he took his seat anyways. He sat across from the Justice League member and he folded his hands over his knees. Robin hunched forward slightly to rest his elbows on his thighs. The quiet sound of tapping coming from Robin's foot filled the stillness in the air.

Neither of the heroes made a sound, and Black Canary brought her head up and folded her hands. She stared ahead at the younger in the room, as if she was waiting for him to explain himself. Robin, however, stared back at her with the same, dull look on his face. His light pink lips were slightly parted and behind his dark glasses, his eyes were narrowed slightly with an unamused light in them, but Black Canary couldn't see them.

"Well," She finally began, "I _was _going to talk to you about the training stimulation. However, I believe that there's something more serious to talk about, so," She paused a moment before her voice hardened, "_what_ do you have to say for yourself?"

He stopped tapping his foot and broke eye contact with her. Instead, he cast his gaze to his right, trailing the lines on the carpeting with his eyes. More than anything, Robin hated being treated like a child, and currently, Black Canary was scolding him the same way a mother would their child. He grit his teeth in anger; she was _not_ his mother.

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child." Robin said, bringing his head back up. The woman across from him raised an eyebrow and leaned backwards against her chair while folding her arms over his chest.

"You're a thirteen year old boy who attacked one of his own teammates, and you expect me to treat you like a proper adult?"

Outraged, Robin stood from his seat, jabbing a finger in her direction angrily, "You weren't even there! You don't know what happened."

"I know what I saw. And that was you attacking Artemis." Her tone was final as she gestured for Robin to sit back down. He folded his arms roughly over his chest but made no move to reclaim his seat. Instead, he remained standing tall, looking down on a Justice League member for once.

Black Canary stared at him with her icy eyes, "If I have the story wrong then how about you sit back down and explain it to me?"

Robin had to stop himself from laughing in the woman's face. Did she honestly think that _that_ would get him to talk? Really? The boy mentally shook his head; this psychiatrist act she was trying to pull off wasn't going to work on him. If she needed the full story she could have asked anyone else in that room; however, something compelled her to pick the Boy Wonder.

A small piece of Robin wanted to talk to her, even though the rest of his body urged against it. The tales he wanted to spill weren't about the fight he and Artemis had, but about everything horrible that happened to him. Robin, more than ever, wanted to talk about his parents, about Bruce, about the team, and even about his mysterious attacked from the prior mission. He longed to let his secrets out for someone, _anyone_ to hear.

But the way Black Canary was staring at him, just expecting him to tell her everything unnerved him as though he was listening to a lighthearted song in reverse. She didn't look anything like a mother would, but she look identical to a lawyer in court. Trying to lead the conversation in a beneficial way towards her side.

And Robin knew that he couldn't trust her with the shadows of his past. He could hardly trust Bruce and Alfred with bits and pieces of it. Sometimes the demons inside of him tried so hard to break free that it nearly broke him. He never wanted pity, and thankfully, Bruce refused to pity him. Because Bruce understood exactly how he felt.

"If you want the story ask someone else." Robin finally said, walking towards the door. He didn't want to hear anything from her, she didn't understand. The room itself was suffocating enough, and he didn't want to be smothered with different questions either.

Black Canary stood from her chair quickly, looking over at him, "Robin, sit back down. We aren't done yet, we still need to talk."

When she spoke, Robin's hand was already on the door, ready to slide it open. He looked over his shoulder back at her, and he could see her shoulders were tense and knees slightly bent. Was she honestly expecting him to attack her? Robin bit back a harsh comment and turned back towards the door to slide it open.

"There's nothing to talk about."

His voice was quiet, but she could hear him. Robin stepped into the hallway, allowing the door to automatically slide shut behind him. From where he was, he could hear plenty of voices pouring out from the kitchen area, and reluctantly, Robin made he was in the opposite direction towards the debriefing room.

At least he could do some research to keep his mind off of things.

Robin purposefully kept his footsteps as silent as he could to be sure no one knew he was here. If he was right, his teammates would just assume he locked himself in his room and would be out after he cooled down a bit. Robin could scarcely imagine what his teammates would think of him acting so obsessively over this dark man.

As he stepped into the white circle on the floor of the debriefing room, the holographic computer popped up before his eyes. The light blue light illuminated the poorly lit hallway he emerged from and stretched over the entire room. Robin reached up a hand towards the screen to open the Mount Justice files and caused bright red letters to cut through the soft blue.

'ACCESS DENIED'

Robin visibly froze, his hand remaining in the air and jaw dropped slightly. Access denied? He hadn't even _tried_ to hack into anything yet. This didn't make sense; why would the main files of Mount Justice be locked? The team should have free access to the data stored away on this computer, why would it change so suddenly?

Despite his suspicions, Robin hacked past the screen and into the actual computer. From there, he effortlessly hacked into the Batcomputer another time and accessed the files the same as before; however, now working on a supercomputer compared to his laptop, was the difference of night and day.

In a few minutes, Robin was into the same section of the Batcomputer as before. He found himself getting far too accustomed to seeing the same, hideous 'ACCESS DENIED' screen. Robin didn't want to find himself falling into the habit of being face to face with the same dreaded screen. Especially is he was in critical situation.

Robin went back into the triple encrypted portion of the Batcomputer data and examined all of the new files on a much larger screen. Could his attacker really be in one of these files? Robin didn't even know where to begin his research. It would be foolish to start randomly, but if the man he was looking for was in the last few files, he would waste so much time digging through the first hundred. He didn't have the patience to sit and wait to find this man when his attacker already knew who Robin was.

With an audible sigh, Robin reached up and clicked the first file. There was really no other place to start than at the beginning. He reluctantly began reading the information on the first criminal, searching for any important details or and signs that this could be his man.

He was only six files in when he thought he may have heard something behind him; however, Robin was too engrossed in his research to look away. Robin turned to a second screen and pulled up a second file to match the four already surrounding him. He could admit this was very disorganized, especially for him, but Robin was too eager to crack the code on this villain.

"Robin?"

The boy quickly turned on his heels, looking like a deer in the headlights. Kaldur was examining him similarly to the way Alfred looked at him. The Atlentian's eyes looked away from the now calm ebony haired boy to the pages of complex research behind him. Kaldur's eyebrows furrowed closely together in confusion as he stepped closer to Robin to look more at what the screen actually said.

"Robin, what is all of this?" Kaldur slowly asked, his eyes widened to take in more of what was before him.

"It's..." Robin hesitated a moment, "It's just some research."

He didn't have time to make up a lie on the spot. The holographic computer displayed six different files at once, and a seventh and eighth screens displaying the Batcomputer Mainframe and Justice League Mainframe as well. Robin swallowed hard and looked away, he probably looked like he was obsessed with his research. Why didn't he turn around when he thought he heard someone walking towards him? Such a stupid mistake.

Hesitantly, Robin reached up and closed all the files at once, preventing Kaldur from reading any more information that it displayed. The Atlantian appeared shocked, and he took a small step backwards before turning to look at Robin. The younger boy looked up at the taller male, expecting him to say something about his research.

"The rest of the team and I just finished speaking with Black Canary. It's almost two in the afternoon, we were going to go out for lunch. Would you like to join us?"

Robin's eyes widened slightly, surprised that he had come to ask him to join. He recollected himself quickly and nodded his head lightly. When Kaldur didn't say anything else, Robin turned to the side and began walking towards the corridor. He abruptly stopped in his tracks when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Turning back around again, he looked into Kaldur's soft, concerned eyes as they seemed to study him. Robin held his breath, hoping that Kaldur wasn't going to question what he saw on the computer screen.

"Robin," Kaldur began, "Is all that research because of the mission?"

Kaldur always acted brotherly to Robin, and the boy always appreciated his concern; however, he didn't always need the older teen forcing his way into things that didn't involve him.

"Yeah, it is... Kaldur, I was attacked by someone out there, and I have no idea who he is or why he even attacked me. If I don't figure out who it is, it's going to eat me alive. I need to know why he was in the exact same spot I was at during the exact same time. None of it makes sense."

A soft sigh came from the Atlantian, "Putting this much stress on yourself could be bad for you. We could ask the rest of the team for help. It would lighten your workload."

The younger of the two stepped back suddenly, and Kaldur's hand dropped back to his side. Robin shook his head once; the team couldn't know what he was doing, especially not Batman. They already thought he was crazy, he couldn't risk them knowing about his obsessiveness while treading in already thin waters.

"No, Kaldur, the team can't know, and neither can Batman."

"Robin, we are your friends, we are here to help you, and Batman is your mentor, surely he could-"

"You don't understand." Robin snapped harshly, "Neither will Batman, or anyone else. It's just a bit of research, that's all. Kal, please, don't tell anyone about this. I'll tell everyone when I have the answer I'm looking for, but I need to do the work on my own. Promise me you won't tell anyone."

Reluctantly, Kaldur nodded his head, "I won't tell anyone. But, if you need help, please ask. Your work doesn't seem very healthy, do not overwork yourself just to find the truth. If you become obsessive over this man, you'll never find your answer."

Robin nodded and turned to begin walking down the corridor once more.

"Oh, and Robin?" Kaldur called out, stepping beside the younger boy. Robin turned to the side and looked up at the Atlantian, his eyes were much more confident now than last time.

"When you find your answer, promise to tell the rest of us. If this man is as dangerous and suspicious as you say he is, I do not want you to put yourself into danger for the sake of finding the truth. I will not tell our teammates or Batman, but if you need help from anyone, feel free to ask me for help. I will be more than happy to assist you."

The boy smiled lightly, "Sure thing, Kaldur. Let's go."

"Actually, none of you are going anywhere."

Nearly jumping at the gruff voice, Kaldur and Robin turned around to witness Batman walk in from the other hallway. Robin silently hoped that Batman hadn't heard anything he and Kaldur just spoke of. By the way Batman stood, however, Robin was nearly positive the man hadn't heard a word passed between them.

"You have another mission," Batman said, "Get suited up and meet me back here in five minutes with your teammates. Go."

Exchanging a quick glance, Kaldur and Robin both rushed down into the dark corridor to inform the rest of the team. Batman folded his arms over his chest and walked towards the computer, pulling up the information he needed to debrief the young heroes on their next mission. He was going to be furious if this mission ended the same way as the last one.

**-X-**

**A/N: So Kaldur found out Robbie's little secret, huh?**

**Hahaha, so that was chapter four, and I'm happy to finally update my fic. It's been a crazy month to be honest, but since it is summertime now, I'm going to have so much more time to update for you guys.**

**And I hope you're all prepared for the action in the next chapter ;)**

**There wasn't as much team involvement as some of you may have expected, but the main focus is between Robin and his attacker, and Robin and Kaldur. And again, -I can't stress this enough- please pay attention to time stamps and dates, they're going to be important for showing the time that is passing and important dates.**

**Did anyone enjoy the Artemis and Robin scene? (:**

**Anyways, thanks for reading, and I"ll do my best to update on time for the first time ever. I'm also thinking about uploading cover art, but I need to ask a friend if they're willing to allow me to borrow it. **

**Oh, if you guys have any free time and want to draw your own cover for my story, feel free to send me a link (: I'd love to have you guys contribute even more so then just the reviews and the critiques. I guess this is it for my author's note though.**

**Until next time (:**

**-Hallo'sEve**


	5. Trust

**A/N: So for those of you who noticed, I did indeed move my fic to the Teen Titans and Young Justice Crossover archive, because it is technically a crossover fic and deserves to be in the right spot. However, if I do notice that some readers cannot find the story, or think I have taken it down, I may move it back to the YJ only archive too.**

**There's not really much else to say other than a quick thank you for your reviews and that fact that you're taking time to read my fic. Reviews always bring a smile to my face, and it's great motivation for writing as well. I appreciate all the advice and compliments as well ^v^**

**I hope you're all ready for this chapter, because things are finally starting to heat up. It's only a matter of time before the _inevitable_ happens (:**

**And I haven't been doing this much but, Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I didn't own anything in the first 4 chapters either.**

**Update: 6\19\13: I moved the story back to the Young Justice only archive. That was fast xD hahaha no, but I had a reader tell me they couldn't find the story, so I figured they might not be he only one. So I decided it was best to move it back.**

**-X-**

_Chapter 5_

_October, 19 2012_

_{14:06 EST}_

"Your mission this evening is taking place at the Burke Power Plant located in Rhode Island. Reports have been flooding in of thievery without any trace evidence left behind. Your assignment is to observe but not engage unless necessary. Make sure no one gets in or out."

Batman reached up towards a screen and pulled up twelve different profiles of workers, "These are the twelve men and women that will be on duty tonight. I expect you to know all of them by name before your mission."

Over his shoulder, the six teenagers hastily nodded, their heads bobbing in a similar fashion with one another. Artemis stood furthest away from Robin with a blank look in her eyes. They fixed themselves to the side as though she was guilty of something; however, her expression remained neutral.

On the other side of the room, Robin held himself in a similar way. His masked eyes looked past the screen and he kept one arm to his side whilst the other grasped his elbow. The boy hardly heard what Batman was saying; instead, he kept glancing occasionally at Artemis, thinking of something to say to her once the debriefing was over.

Should he apologize? He hardly did anything wrong- Robin's eyes landed on her bandaged arm and guilt quickly accepted Robin into its arms.

He made a huge mistake. He just felt so _angry_ at the time, and the way Artemis simply belittled his encounter pushed him over the edge. Had he been alone at this moment, he would have hit himself; _just what had he been thinking_? He attacked Artemis because of a few harsh words- was he really growing soft? Before the Rockies Mission, before the... failed training exercise, he would have never done something as stupid as that. Batman taught Robin how to control his emotions, so it didn't cloud his judgement or fighting. He hadn't lost it like that in years.

If the simulation hadn't gone downhill, would he even be in this mess now? His emotions were going haywire, too much was going on. Batman hardly set foot in the Manor the past few days, let alone bother to ask Robin how things were affecting him. He never felt so shaken from something that wasn't even real, he never felt so alone before.

He never felt so _broken_.

"Robin."

Robin whipped his head in Batman's direction to face the familiar scowl and feeling of a hundred pairs of eyes on him. Instantly, Robin knew he spaced out again, even during a mission debriefing. He took notice of the new screen just past Batman's head. A blueprint of the schematics of the Power Plant came up. There were three highlighted routes on the map, one red, another yellow, and a third one was green.

"Are you ready to pay attention now?" Batman gruffly asked, leaving room for only one straight answer. Robin quickly took notice of the lack of expression in his face and tone of voice. His mentor didn't look or even sound the slightest concerned about the reason he'd spaced out. Instead, Robin stared back into Batman's hard, blank face and swallowed once.

"Yes, sorry. It won't happen again."

Without even nodding, Batman resumed speaking, "As I was saying, tonight you will be working in pairs. Artemis, you are with Superboy, Kid Flash with Miss Martian, and finally, Aqualad, you're with Robin."

Something right there compelled Robin to believe Batman was losing trust in him. He typically partnered with Kid Flash because the speedster was prone to goofing off and messing up the mission; however, he paired with Aqualad, the leader of the team and most responsible of the teenagers. Was Batman really that disappointed in him?

At times, Robin felt Batman was disappointed with him all the time. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, he could never get the man's approval. He would practice for hours, just to prefect a single move under Batman's watchful eye during intense training; however, no matter how many times he executed the move right, it was never satisfactory to earn himself Batman's approval. That was the one thing Robin hated about Batman; nothing was _ever_ good enough.

He got used to it, surprisingly. All the bitter shakes of his head, the same unhappy frown permanently stapled to his face, and unforgiving stance with his arms crossed over his chest. Batman meant well and Robin grew to understand that over time, but even if Robin denied it, Batman was -and always will be- a man with a heart as cold as ice. And nothing was ever going to change that, yet Robin knew how much the man cared about him. Even so, it would feel nice to hear Batman say it to his face once in a while too.

"Robin!"

This time, Robin cringed at the tone used specifically in his direction. He met Batman's cruel glare standing right in front of him. Mentally kicking himself for getting distracted again, Robin lowered his arm to his side. If Robin ever saw an angel of death, he was positive it would look like Batman now.

Batman's jaw hardened before he spoke, "I've had enough of this. Either you begin to pay attention now or I will permanently remove you from this team. Get your act together before I make that decision. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

Robin's voice was much quieter than he originally intended. He struggled to comprehend his own voice; however, Batman turned on swiftly on his heel, turning his attention towards the monitor once again. Obviously the man heard him, but Robin couldn't shake the feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. It felt as though he was growing paranoid of something or someone.

"Now," Batman began, "Aqualad and Robin, you two will stick to this red path after infiltrating the front of the building without detection. Then Kid Flash and Miss Martian will enter the Power Plant through the back entrance tracing the yellow path."

The Justice League member followed the red path with a finger before doing the same with the yellow path. The four heroes nodded together to show that they understood their assignments.

"Your two groups will follow paths that scout out a majority of the complex. Remember this mission is to observe and engage if necessary. The company is unaware of our involvement, furthermore, there will be serious consequences if any of you are spotted. Your objective is to make sure no one, other than the workers, move in or out."

Batman reached up and traced the green path around the perimeter, "Aretmis and Superboy, you two will be stationed around the perimeter of the establishment. I expect you two to be alert for any unknown air crafts or unwanted company. This mission is simple: learn each worker by name and face, stick to your assigned path, do not get caught, and do not let the thief get away. However, if you six do manage to fail this mission, don't bother coming back."

On that harsh note, Batman moved to the side towards Robin, "Robin, I want a word with you in five minutes."

Robin nodded, watching his mentor as he turned out of the room. His blood ran cold; he didn't want to imagine what Batman was going to say to him. With a shaking breath, he turned to his teammates, all of them staring at him like bugs. As much as he loved the spotlight, this was not the kind of attention he loved to receive.

"Look, guys," Robin began, "You can all still hang out before the mission. Batman's probably going to take me home for the next few hours anyways."

Kaldur shook his head and put his hand on Robin's shoulder, "We're a team, Robin. We will wait until you and Batman finish speaking. We do not mind waiting for you first."

A small smile graced Robin's features before Kaldur returned it, turning to walk towards the door. The Atlantian, Martian, clone, and speedster all walked out of the room, seemingly purposely, leaving the Boy Wonder and the archer their wake. The two looked at each other before Robin broke the contact.

"Artemis, I-"

"It was my fault, Robin. I was just so upset about... well, everything, and I just vented to you. I said some things I shouldn't have said, and I'm sorry."

Robin looked back up at her, slightly surprised that the tough girl actually managed to apologize to him. He hesitated though; was she really the one who needed to apologize? Moments ago he was running different explanations as though he was running lines for a play, but maybe he didn't even need to apologize.

After all, she had provoked him first.

"It's fine." Robin spoke smoothly, "Let's just move on from it alright?"

She smiled lightly at the younger boy, "Sound's like a good idea. And, Robin, I really didn't mean what I said when I accused you of cutting yourself. That wasn't me at all, I just said the first thing that came to my head. So, I'm sorry."

Robin wasn't sure if he'd be able to forgive her. Artemis said she honestly thought Robin went to such an extreme as to cut himself just to prove he was right. As determined as he may be sometimes, he would _never_ do something like that to himself. Even if she claimed it meant nothing, she still believed it enough to say it out loud.

He wasn't sure if this or hearing Batman yell at him like that stung more.

"I'll go catch up with the team," The blonde said, "See you soon."

Robin smiled and tossed up his hand before dropping it and turning away from her. Next stop: Batman. And boy was he angry. As though he was marching to his death, Robin pressed into the hallway Batman stalked through, finding his mentor in the Mountain's library. The man was sitting at an empty table so Robin walked forward to take the seat across from him.

His gaze went down to the bandages poking out from underneath the sleeve of his uniform and glove. It was an attempt to distract himself from what was about to come. Batman cleared his throat and Robin's head quickly tilted up to look at his mentor. The man's eyes were narrowed and his lips were in the same, familiar frown that Robin saw far too often.

"Robin," Batman slowly began, "Is there something you're not telling me?"

That was not the reaction he expected to get. If anything, he'd imagined Batman yelling at him like how he usually did when Robin screwed something up. However, Batman didn't seem as upset anymore, but Robin couldn't be sure with the mask covering his eyes.

"Nothing's wrong, Batman. I'm fine."

"Alfred told me about you doing research in your room the night of your last mission. He told me you locked yourself up there for the entire day. What was it you were researching?"

In all honesty, he shouldn't have expected anything less from the old Englishman; however, Robin had hoped that just this one time, Alfred would be able to keep it between the two of them.

"I was just doing extra research. You know, practicing hacking."

Batman shook his head, "There's something you're not telling me."

Robin figured he would never understand how Batman could see through him so easily. It seemed as though no matter what he did, Robin would never have true privacy living in Wayne Manor. At least not with Batman constantly watching over him. Although it seemed to be reassuring to always have his mentor there for him, he didn't want Batman to breathe down his neck while researching his attacker.

"And there's stuff _you're_ not telling _me_." He countered, "A triple-encrypted file on the Batcomputer that lead to another entire network of locked files?"

Batman's face seemed to harden as Robin finished speaking. However, Robin was not going to back down from this. He was Batman's partner, and partners didn't keep information locked away from each other.

"You weren't supposed to be snooping around the files on the Batcomputer."

"Does it even matter?" Robin said, his voice raising with anger. He was tempted to stand out of his seat; however, he forced himself to remain sitting as he spoke, "You're keeping files, information, _everything_ away from me. It's not even fair, we're supposed to be partners!"

"There is information on there, Robin, that you shouldn't know. Some criminals who you shouldn't ever have to hear about because of how twisted they are. I did it to protect you from learning certain things until you're older."

Looking away, Robin leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. He noticed how Batman continued to fall back on the protection excuse. Robin couldn't say it enough times; he's thirteen, not ten. He could take care of himself. Living in Gotham as a hero and the ward of a billionaire, he was constantly a target, and Robin was more than ready to handle anyone in his path.

When Robin didn't comment, Batman continued to speak, "You were unfocused during the debriefing, and Black Canary told me about your outburst with her and Artemis. What's going on? Why are you acting out so suddenly?"

"Like you care." Robin muttered more to himself than to Batman; however, Robin visibly witnessed Batman's shoulders tense up suddenly. The man sucked in a deeper breath before relaxing. Robin hesitated, taking in the man's movements. He didn't mean it, but he still felt so upset about the past two missions, and Batman never took the time to talk to Robin about it. If Batman knew him so well, why hadn't he noticed how the mission hurt him so badly.

Batman looked directly at Robin when he spoke, "You know how much I care about you, Robin."

"Then why didn't you bother to ask me how I felt after the stupid training simulation?"

Now he was angry, and his voiced rose to a shout to ring into Batman's ears across the table. He gripped the edge of the chair with one hand and held on to it tightly. It wasn't fair; everyone else on his team got the comfort they needed from their mentors. And what did he get? The same icy glare from Batman because he messed up, yet again.

"With over half the League on a space mission, I had no choice but to pull the extra weight. That is why I had Black Canary-"

"Black Canary isn't my mentor." Robin interrupted, "And when I saw everyone else around me die, she wasn't the one I needed. Did you even consider how I felt about it? Not even Alfred talked to me!"

"We assumed you would want some time alone first."

Robin looked away sharply and messed up his hair with his hand, "I didn't want to be by myself to think about it after I thought I was completely alone again."

His voice was soft again; however, that did not mean he was any less angry. Of all people, Batman should have known Robin needed the comfort; he should have known Robin was near his own breaking point. The mission simulation hadn't just been a failure, but it was also a horrific reminder of what it felt to lose everything he had again. Robin put up a strong front for his teammates, so he could be strong because they weren't. But Robin never wanted to put on a show for his own mentor when he was torn up inside.

"Would you like to talk about it now?"

The boy turned his head back to Batman again and read the expression on his masked face. Batman gaze was not a guilty expression, but Robin could just tell the man wanted to make things right. However, Robin refused to say anything else. How could Batman honestly expect him to talk about all the trauma right after he admitted to being too busy to care?

"No. I just... want to be with my teammates right now."

Lying again. Robin hated what he was turning to, but he couldn't help it. Everyone had abandoned him. His teammates didn't trust him and his mentor didn't care how he felt. His own life was falling apart right before him, slipping through his fingers like sand. Eventually, time would heal his wounds, and the simulation will be nothing more than a bitter memory to him.

And Robin only hoped that day would come soon.

He didn't wait for Batman to give him an answer, but he stood from the chair and turned to leave the room. As he made it through the doorway to leave, a piece of him was disappointed Batman hadn't pressed harder to talk to him. Did he really mean that little to Batman? Even if the man struggled to reach out to Robin, he still needed the attention a father gives to a son. He wasn't sure if he would be able to push past this trauma on his own.

Silence followed after him, and Robin wasn't surprised Batman let him go. He would rather sit with his teammates and pretend everything is okay instead of lying to his mentor's face. As much as Robin trusted Batman, he just couldn't get himself to expose such information to the Caped Crusader. Over time, he figured Batman would be able to figure it out himself, because Batman is Batman, yet, Robin was determined to solve this case and shove the adversary behind bars before Batman even knew who he was researching.

As Robin trailed through the corridor slowly, he found himself questioning if he wanted to go be with his friends or turn the other way and go to his room. Robin stopped walking and leaned against the wall. If he went to his room and continued his research, then he would be closer to finding out who his attacker was. And that would help him find out who the man was before anything else happens.

Which would then lead his teammates to trust him again and convince Batman to train him again.

It was foolproof. All he needed was to get his hands on the right information; however, another scenario engulfed Robin. What if he wasn't able to track down this man? What if he spent hours of research just to find one man, only to come up empty-handed and prove everyone else right? What would he do then?

There was no doubt in Robin's mind that he and this man would cross paths again, but Robin needed it to be on his terms. He wanted to hunt this man down before he caught up with Robin first. While fighting the mysterious man, Robin couldn't help but feel something was off about the man. He represented himself highly without being arrogant and remained capable of dominating the entire battle. And Robin could tell that this man knew far more than he was letting on; he may even know Robin's secret identity.

The suspense was _eating _him.

Standing silently in the corridor, Robin felt himself split into two. His own heart begged him to go be with his teammates, to just _talk_ to someone about feeling torn up on the inside. On the flip side, however, Robin's mind specifically instructed him to march to his room, lock his door, and research until he managed to scrape something together about the suspicious man. The question of the hour was which would he listen to?

Again, he weighed his options in both hands, the internal debate consuming his mind. He needed to make a decision quickly, before Batman decided to walk out from the library.

With a sigh, Robin turned his back to the hallway and quickly walked to the left corridor. The voices of his teammates echoed loudly behind him, causing Robin to pick up his speed before coming to a stop to present himself before the electronic keypad. He swiftly punched in the code and stepped into the dark shroud of his room, listening as the door slid shut behind him and locked out the voices that followed.

Robin told himself he was better off researching his attacker instead of being with his friends. After all, his friends would be there for him when he needed it, but this man was elusive and dangerous. Silently, he pulled his laptop from his dresser and turned the system on to begin hacking.

-X-

_October, 19, 2012_

_{19:19 EST}_

Standing up, Robin slammed his fist into the side of the wall. Empty-handed again! He couldn't find a single clue about his attacker in any information he stared at for the past five hours. Even as each file began to look alike, he forced himself to keep going, holding onto the small shred of hope that there would be a silver lining to the dark cloud of research.

Yet here he was, glaring into the shadows of his bedroom.

Slowly, he walked towards his door and opened it, the light flooding into his room. Robin squinted his eyes for a brief moment before he stepped fully into the hallway, leaving enough room for the door to slide shut behind him. As he made his way towards the garage, he ran down the list of workers at the Power Plant mentally. By knowing each worker as well as Batman demanded, Robin knew he could earn back some of his mentor's respect.

When Robin came through the door, he was greeted with small smiles instead of the stares he received when he first came back to Mount Justice. He did, however, notice a strange look on Kaldur's face. Did he almost look... guilty?

"Team," Batman's voice cut through, ripping Robin's thoughts from Kaldur, "You are leaving now."

Without hesitation, the teenagers quickly boarded the ship and sat in their usual chairs. Miss Martian lowered the hatch out of the mountain and raised the exit from the Bioship. When the machine purred with life, the organic space ship took off, leaving Batman in its wake.

From his seat, Robin plugged the computer from his glove into the computer hard drive of the Bioship. Within the data, an organized graph of the workers' profiles showed up on the screens to the side of the window. Kid Flash groaned from his seat, tossing his head backwards and rocking himself side to side on his chair with his feet resting on the dashboard.

"I'm sick of looking at these workers."

Robin laughed lightly and leaned forward to kick Kid Flash's feet off the dashboard, "It's twelve workers, KF. Not twelve thousand."

Kid Flash turned to playfully glare at Robin as his feet hammered into the floor, "Sorry, Rob," the speedster began jokingly, his glare turning into a goofy, accusing look, "We're not all as good at researching as you are."

When the words left Kid Flash's mouth, Robin immediately stiffened, his shoulders rising slightly and his breathing suddenly becoming still and hollow. Had he heard Kid Flash right? Without turning, Robin looked at Aqualad from the corner of his eye. The Atlantian was studying the information displayed, but he didn't seem guilty of suspicious of something of any way.

"What did you say?" Robin hesitantly asked, fearing that the speedster would say the worst next.

"You know, all the hacking you do?" Kid Flash smoothly continued, his words not skipping a beat and his expression unwavering, "You're prone to be better at understanding this information than we are."

The boy exhaled the breath he had held, "Right." He muttered, turning away from the redhead. In turn, Robin leaned back and rested his own feet on the dashboard looking at the information one last time as they approached the Burke Power Plant. Something nagged at the back of Robin's mind to find out what Kid Flash exactly meant; however, he stuffed his curious self with information regarding the workers instead. This mission had to go perfectly before anything else mattered first.

"We're here." Miss Martian said, parking the camouflaged ship a distance away from the complex. When the ship completely stopped and lowered the hatch, the teens rose from their seats. Miss Martian pulled her hood over her head and Kid Flash and Aqualad changed their uniforms into the stealthy color they needed.

"Alright, team," Aqualad said, gaining everyone's attention, "Remember we are here uninvited, and must remain undetected. Maintain the mental link to ensure we catch this thief no matter what. Rendezvous back at the Bioship at sunrise. Everyone ready?"

With the chorus of nods, Aqualad walked towards the exit, "Let's get moving."

Together, the teenagers all made it out of the invisible ship. From there, they split into their assigned pairs and began to scout their paths. Superboy and Artemis split apart, each of them covering half the perimeter. Kid Flash and Miss Martian quietly went through a vent in the back of the building, leaving Robin and Aqualad to sneak in the front.

_"Security's down,"_ Robin mentally said, _"Video feed is replaying itself too."_ The boy laughed his usual laugh, _"Piece of cake, just keep your eyes open for the bad guy. Batman's files claimed that this place has been robbed four times the past month. By following the patterns, he pinpointed it to this date. If we're right, it wont be a boring night."_

_"Does Batman know who the thief is?"_ Superboy asked.

Robin shook his head from the shadows of the hallway, even though the clone couldn't see him, _"No idea,"_ He said, motioning for Aqualad to move to the shadows with him, _"The only evidence left over is missing equipment and chemicals."_

Aqualad ducked into the shadows beside Robin, the two of them treading down the corridor together. As the duo rounded a corner, ghostly footsteps could be heard coming in their direction. Effortlessly, Robin flipped to the top of the rafters on the high ceiling, watching Aqualad become one with the shadows as the worker strode by. The worker's name registered in his mind; however, Robin chose not to worry about it, and instead brought up a nearly invisible screen on his holographic computer.

_"Couldn't it be one of the workers then?"_ Superboy asked as he stopped walking to hear any footsteps from where he stood.

_"Negative."_ Robin said, his voice flowing as though he expected this question all night, _"There are a different set of workers each night the Plant was attacked. None of the guards on duty ever repeat."_

From where he rested, Robin squinted, barely being able to cut through the darkness with his eyes. As the worker passed beneath him, he could see two different hallways, one leading left, which the worker came from, and the other one leading right. Robin specifically remembered the turn he needed to take being to the left, because the other corridor lead to a dead-end.

When the hallway was cleared, Robin gracefully hopped down, landing silently beside Aqualad. He leaned against the wall and proceeded to hack the motion sensors of the Power Plant with relative ease. As he expected, his and his teammates locations remained overridden; however, something seemed to catch Robin's eye.

There was a red dot in the dead-end hall that Batman told them to avoid. Robin knew there wasn't supposed to be anyone down that hallway either. Confused, Robin's eyes furrowed as he proceeded to count the dots on the screen. Were there... _thirteen_ workers? Robin quickly counted again, knowing there were supposed only twelve workers.

"Thirteen?" Robin breathlessly whispered, barely hearing the sound for his own ears. Aqualad, standing beside the boy, raised a curious eyebrow.

"Is something wrong, Robin?"

"No, nothing." Robin quickly covered, "I'm going to quickly check the other corridor."

Aqualad looked at him cautiously, "Batman instructed us to remain on our path throughout the complex." The leader quietly whispered. The two walked forward, coming to a standstill at the fork in the road. Robin slowly scanned the dark path he longed to explore, his eyes pausing at the end of the corridor. Something was... off about the shadows and Robin couldn't quite place his finger on it. Suddenly, the shadows moved ever so slightly. Was that an _eye_?

"I know," Robin said, his eyes still locked on the corridor, "but it's practically the only large portion of the complex didn't cover."

"Because it's off-limits to the workers."

Robin smiled, turning to Aqualad, "Exactly! So what if the thief is waiting down there?"

"I suppose you are right, Robin. Allow me to come with you."

"No," Robin said a little too quickly. He hesitated a moment before turning back towards the hallway, "You should stick to the path. It's a dead-end anyways, I shouldn't be there any longer than a half hour. If the thief is down there, we'll catch him, and if not, you'll have the chance to find them while sticking to our assigned route. Its foolproof."

Staring down the hall, Robin fixed his eyes exactly where he thought he saw the moving shadow. With Aqualad breathing down his back, Robin knew he wouldn't be able to solve anything.

"It's not safe. I can't send you down there alone."

"You trust me, don't you?" Robin asked, his mouth tugging into a cheeky grin, "What's the worst that could happen?"

Aqualad sighed, "Fine," he whispered, "Just be careful."

Robin nodded, taking off silently down the hallway. He moved swiftly, looking once again at his computer. The thirteenth dot was still in the same room, not moving much from its original spot. Excitement flowed through Robin; this had been the moment he was waiting for. If this happened to be his attacker, he would have the chance to prove himself.

The young hero pushed though the double doors reading "AUTHORIZED PERSONAL ONLY". He examined the room, the counters littered with empty beakers and jarred chemicals. A single light shone in the middle of the room and Robin walked towards the center of the spotlight.

"Robin."

A small gasp slipped from his mouth, the sound of his name echoing off the walls. The sound seemed familiar; it _had_ to be him. He dropped lower to a defensive stance. His feet were shoulder width apart and his hands were clenched into fists protectively over his chest. Robin longed for a rematch, and he only hoped that this was the man he was looking for.

"Show yourself!" Robin shouted, scanning over the darkness. A dark chuckle flooded the simple room and fizzled in the light. The ebony haired boy felt his shoulders tense up; it sounded as though the man was mocking him.

"Relax, Robin. I'm right here."

Robin spun around, the man standing right beside him. The boy studied the grown man and examined the completed puzzle piece before him. Robin unconsciously found himself taking a step back, almost frightened by the man's dominating presence. The man was easily over a foot taller than him and muscular beyond reason. Robin felt the pace of his breathing quicken; was he scared if this man?

"Who are you?" The Boy Wonder found himself asking. He couldn't make a connection to any of the images he saw before; he had no idea who this man was.

He took notice of the man's single, steel-blue eye as it seemed to study Robin as well. The man mentally critiqued Robin's fighting stance; however, he made no effort speak his thoughts.

"You're following us," Robin continued, "The Rockies Mission and now here. What do you want?"

"You're hardly keeping up. Come now, Robin, have I really wasted my time with you?" The man tauntingly asked, waiting to see if he could get a reaction out of the boy. As if on cue, Robin's eyes harshly narrowed and he felt a dangerous growl grow in his throat.

When Robin failed to speak up, the man continued, "Not everything is about your team," He said, almost sounding bored, "It's about you."

"M-me? Why?" Robin stuttered, taking yet another step back. The man took two steps forward with him, stopping right in front of the small boy. While standing beside his attacker, Robin felt unconditionally small compared to the massive stature of this man. Suddenly, a hand reached out and tilted Robin's chin up, similarly to the way he had down on the icy mountaintops a few days prior.

"Because you're different, Robin. You're unlike anyone else I've ever seen."

"Who are you? What do you want."

Another sinister laugh met his ears, however, this time, it was followed by an answer, "My name is Slade, and I have come and claim my prize."

Robin flinched and slapped the man's hand away. He took a step back from Slade, a fear building up in his chest. The same fear was twisted with a sort of anger Robin never felt before. He was not an object and he certainly was not a booby prize for some sick psychopath.

"I'm not some prize to be won." Robin hissed, scowling up at Slade. Slade, however, clasped his hands behind his back and began to circle the boy like a hunter stalking his prey. Stopping half way across the perimeter, Slade leaned in closely to Robin's ear, his voice just loud enough for Robin to hear. The words tumbled over his lips darkly before slipping out from behind his mask.

"But you are, my dear boy, and you've been mine for quite some time now."

A chill made its way down Robin's spine and he jumped away from the man, distancing themselves with a few feet. The edgy sensation in his chest grew more intense with each second slipping by. Robin didn't want this man anywhere near him.

_"Robin? Did you find anything?_" Aqualad's voice filled Robin's head. Despite himself, he felt himself twitch a finger ever so lightly and avert his attention away from Slade for half a second. Slade took note of the slight, nearly invisible movement in the boy's hand, and with his years of experience, he knew Robin looked away for a short moment. A small smirk graced Slade's face behind the mask and he stood quietly, as if waiting for Robin to finish the conversation.

Robin bit the bottom of his lip, was he going to lie to Aqualad? His eyes grazed over his opponent another time. Just by _looking_ at the man, Robin knew he was way out of his league. If the Boy Wonder had to guess, he would say that Slade had more muscle in his leg than Robin had in his entire body. Even if he nearly begged himself for a rematch, Robin had a foreboding feeling that he was not going to win; however, that did not mean he was going to call in backup. This was his fight, and he didn't want anyone interrupting.

_"Not yet. I still have more rooms to check. Shouldn't be much longer."_

_"Alright. Just be careful."_

_"Will do."_

"Are you finished?" Slade asked as though he was basking in the glory of knowing what Robin was doing. Surprisingly, Robin found himself nodding, almost compelled to give the man respect.

Slade reached behind himself and withdrew his bo-staff from his utility belt, allowing it to fully extend at his side. "Very well. Is one of your little friends going to come running?"

"No, this is my battle." Robin said, narrowing his eyes darkly and taking out his own Escrima sticks. He gripped the sticks tightly in each hand, feeling the adrenaline rushing through him already. This time the battle was going to go his way.

He was going to make sure of it.

-X-

Aqualad moved steadily through the endless corridor, holding his back as close to the wall as possible with both palms pressed behind him. He glanced backwards and into the passage he allowed Robin to rush down minutes ago. There was a feeling nagging at him, begging him to turn back and clarify that Robin remained in one piece. However, the Atlantian did no such thing. Instead, he pressed forward into the darkness, not a sound following behind him.

He stopped when he came to a corner, twisting his head around the corner before fully turning himself. Aqualad had strayed no more than two yards when he cut short abruptly and pressed his ear against the wall. Holding his breath to refrain from making any sounds, he shut his eyes and listened carefully. He could have sworn he heard beeping.

_"Aqualad!_" Artemis said urgently, _"It's an ambush, you all need to get out of there now!"_

The moment Aqualad pulled his head away from the wall, the structure exploded beside him, hammering his body into the wall like an old rag doll. He grunted on impact and slid down the wall until reaching the littered floor. Aqualad held his head when he pushed himself up to his knees, trying to stop the blood that now seeped from a cut on his forehead. He glanced to the destroyed wall, watching as men in dark uniforms flooded in.

_"Is everyone alright?"_ Aqualad called, getting up to his knees and drawing his water-bearers. Some of the passing men noticed Aqualad, and with a battle cry in a foreign language, they charged at him. Effortlessly dodging the men's sloppy attacks, Aqualad turned his weapons into mallets, easily knocking the infiltrators on their backs unconscious.

_"M'gann and I are fine."_ Kid Flash answered, speeding around his targets. He successfully dodged each poorly aimed bullet before kicking out their feet from under them. Beside him, Miss Martian psychically sent her attackers into the nearby wall. They all fell to the ground in a crumpled heap of armor and guns.

Kid Flash walked up beside her, "Do you think these were the guys committing all the robberies?" He asked. The alien girl shook her head, removing the hood off her head, allowing her auburn hair to graze past her small shoulders. Her eyes scanned those lying around to two of them.

"I'm not sure. Why would they ambush now if they always used stealth before?" Miss Martian asked, turning to the redhead beside her. Kid Flash shrugged once, bending down to grab a necklace that fell off one of the men.

"Souvenir!" He said proudly, examining it as closely as possible without any strong source of light. Kid Flash was ready to shove it into his pocket when he was suddenly slammed from the side and forced into the wall. Kid Flash shouted on impact, feeling as though the bone in his arm snapped right there. He crumpled to the floor, holding his recently healed arm in his hand. A leathery hand reached down and grabbed Kid Flash by his neck and shoved the boy into the wall. Slowly, the hand closed around his neck, cutting off the air supply.

Panicked, Kid Flash grabbed the arm that held him there, and he grabbed... fur? His eyes opened to be face to face with the ugly face of Monsieur Mallah. Over the ape's shoulder, Kid Flash saw Miss Martian standing frozen in front of Psimon. He assumed she was locked in mental warfare before he began to vibrate his body to get the gigantic hand off of his neck.

When the friction became too much for the beast to bear, Mallah dropped Kid Flash, giving the speedster enough time to slip away and catch his breath.

_"We've got Monsieur Mallah and Psimon over here. We need backup."_

_"We're under attack too, Wally. We need-" _Artemis cut off suddenly, not being able to finish he panicked thought.

Kid Flash's eyes widened, _"Artemis!"_ He yelled, reaching up to his earpiece to try and reach anyone that way.

Suddenly, Mallah grabbed his wrist roughly and yanked Kid Flash up to his feet. The teenager gasped, the limb already burning from hitting the wall, and he was thrown over the ape's shoulder, hitting the wall with a loud thud. He tried to push himself up; however, a foot buried itself into Kid Flash's back, pinning the boy against the rough floor.

Kid Flash gasped, squirming under Mallah's foot like a small insect. Another blow came to the back of his head, and all Kid Flash saw was blackness.

-X-

"Artemis!" Superboy called out, watching the girl tumble behind the shrubs around the complex. The fear in his stomach rose quickly when the blonde haired girl didn't get up from the bushes. Teekl, the over-sized, vicious, and demonic cat growled before pouncing Superboy, successfully scratching the hero's chest deep enough to draw blood.

Superboy snarled back at the cat before throwing the beast over his shoulders with a loud cry. The animal landed on its paws, its eyes burning red with fury as it rammed down Superboy again, pinning the clone by his shoulders and dragging him through the dirt.

_"Aqualad, we need help! Artemis is out."_ The teen said, using his legs to kick Teekl off of himself. The cat flew backwards, but it landed smoothly on its feet. The beast hissed loudly, circling Superboy slowly as its own prey. The superteen grit his teeth together tightly before screaming and rushing at the cat. Superboy jumped into the air and pulled back his arm, gladly striking the animal across the face.

He was ready to attack again when two arms grabbed him from behind.

"Get off of me!" Superboy yelled, using all his muscle to try and break out from the hold around his torso. Bane's familiar laugh sounded behind him and motivated the villain to squeeze tighter around the clone's chest. In front of the two of them, Teekl approached, its tail swishing back and forth slowly. The cat let out a loud hiss before clawing at Superboy again, scratching the side of the boy's face. Superboy let out an angered yell, and kicked the demonic cat, barely pushing the creature away from him.

From behind, Bane laughed again, "Nice try, mi amigo." The man said, hitting Superboy on the side of the head and feeling the boy's body go limp in his arms. Bane dropped Superboy in the dirt before turning and running into the Power Plant.

-X-

_"Superboy, I will try my best to get there."_ Aqualad said, narrowly dodging Wotan's magically produced fist. When he got no response from the clone, Aqualad stuck Wotan across the face harder than he thought he was going to.

_"Robin, where are you! We are under attack! Are you hurt?"_

Wotan conjured up a barrier to protect against Aqualad's next swing for his head, "Your team is falling, Aqualad. Give up now." He said. With the flick of his wrist, his magic powers sent Aqualad flying back into the wall and rewarded himself with a cry from the strong teenager. Using his other hand, Wotan conjured different bindings to hold Aqualad to the wall without any means of escape.

_"Robin, answer me, now!"_

Holding his hand before Aqualad's face, he whispered a few words before grinning at the Atlantian, "Say goodnight, young hero."

Aqualad twisted his head away the best he could, trying to do anything to force himself off the wall; however, with each second, the darkness grew stronger and his body begun to feel like lead. After one last attempt to break free, Aqualad passed out, his head lowering without the ability to keep it up.

-X-

Robin did the best he could to block out the shouts of his friends in his head, especially Aqualad's. He couldn't afford to miss a step now. Slade swung his staff at Robin's legs and the acrobat kicked off the ground, twisting in the air away from the man's boot and landing on his feet a short distance away. He scanned the ground for his Escima sticks that he dropped awhile ago; however, he found nothing.

He cried out when Slade's fist suddenly hit across his face. The impact tossed him so the side and Robin hit the edge of the counter on his hip bone, making the teen double over in abrupt pain.

"That is the price of getting distracted during battle, Robin." Slade said, speaking down to Robin as though he was the boy's mentor. Robin forced himself to straighten out and he glared at the man. He refused to get taught by madman.

The recovery time Robin desperately needed evaporated as Slade rushed at him again, this time nailing Robin with a kick in the center of his chest. Robin grunted as he was sent back and skid across the lab's tables. The boy felt himself break through the empty beakers, glass cutting into any open skin it could find. The end of the row came up quickly and Robin slid of the back like a penguin, scarcely managing to land on his feet.

He panted lightly, reaching up to touch his cheek. Robin cringed on immediate contact and looked back at his hand. As far as he could tell in the poor lighting, this glove had blood on it. Reaching into his belt, Robin pulled out a hand full of bat-a-rangs, one resting between each crook of his fingers. He needed to get an upper-hand on this battle if he wanted to win.

Without a second thought, Robin whipped eight bat-a-rangs at Slade. Each of them whirled towards Slade with expert precision; however, Robin watched in shock as Slade's staff moved like lightning to deflect seven of the weapons. When the final one was about to come in contact with Slade's mask, the man caught it between two fingers, hardly more than two inches from his face. Slade took his hand down and examined the weapon closer in his hand.

"Impressive aim." He mused to himself. When Robin dropped his stance for a millisecond, Slade looked up at that same moment and whipped the bat-a-rang right back into Robin's direction. The Boy Wonder looked startled and dropped his shoulder to avoid getting hit; however, the bat-a-rang curved and cut through the top of his shoulder.

Robin's hand flew to the wound, feeling how the bat-a-rang perfectly missed his collarbone and sliced through the skin above it. He gripped it tightly, ignoring the pain that now rumbled through his arm.

"However, you still have so much to learn."

With that, Slade rushed at Robin again. This time, however, he aimed weaker punches at the ebony haired boy, calculating the way he chose to block the attacks. The first few hits, Robin passed his unknown challenge, but after another one, the boy protected his face with both arms instead of one, leaving his torso wide open.

Slade took the opening, kneeing Robin in the stomach. Robin gasped for air, the wind rushing out of his body as he leaned over, hands moving to his stomach. Slade then reached out and grabbed Robin's upper arm, flipping the Boy Wonder over his broad shoulder and into an undamaged counter top. Robin's back collided with a whole tray of glass tubes and cups, shattering under the sudden impact. He continued to slide past the edge once more; however, this time, Robin landed roughly on his stomach but did not rise up like last time.

"Defense needs work. Never leave your chest unprotected, especially when your opponent has the upper-hand."

Slowly, Slade walked over to Robin, looking down on the boy as he struggled to push himself up to his elbows. The boy's thin arms quivered under the pressure and blood seeped down his arm from his exposed shoulder wound. Slade got down onto his one knee, closely watching boy.

"Why..." Robin gasped, "Are you doing this?" He finished as he turned his head to the side to look at the stronger man. Robin forced himself to look strong, however, he never felt so _pathetic_.

"It is a lesson, Robin. You still have so much to learn. I understand you're upset, being able to lose so easily, feeling pathetic and weak. However, the lesson isn't over, dear boy. It's only just begun."

-X-

**A/N: Holy, long chapter Batman!**

**This is probably the closest I've come to updating on time so far, sooo happy dance! But seriously, I know there hasn't been much action these past chapters, so I wanted to make sure I got plenty in there for you guys!**

**So please leave a review, or favorite, or even follow my fic. It's really the little things that help motivate me to write the most. Well, until next time!**

**-Hallo'sEve**


	6. Fragmented

**A/N: Hello! Finally, I updated on time! Or close to it.**

**First off, for those of you who noticed, and those who didn't, I have added a cover for this story. It's not artwork done by me, but it's done by a friend of mine. Her name is C2ii and she was kind enough to let me use her artwork for the cover. This will indeed be the design for Robin's apprentice outfit, so if you need a closer look, the link is here:**

deviantart dot com / art / apprentice - 299185908

**And this is the link to her DeviantART page:**

c2ii dot deviantart dot com

**Just remove all the spaces and replace 'dot' with an actual period. Her artwork really is amazing, so if you like the cover, go show her some love on her own page ^_^**

**Unfortunately, however, some of the image doesn't fit, so until I can get it to all fit properly, it is going to be like that for now. So if you love the artwork as much as I do, go visit C2ii on her page and for a close up and the full size of it itself.**

**-X-**

_Chapter 6_

_October 19, 2012_

_{20:55 EST}_

"Lesson?" Robin questioned, pushing himself up to his knees to stare at the man now towering above him, "W-what do you mean by lesson?"

Slade began to circle around the boy again, observing as the young teenager tightly grasped his bleeding shoulder. He still panted lightly to catch his breath; however, Robin forced himself to climb to his feet, this time turning his head cautiously to watch Slade as the man walked. Robin's stomach tied into knots when he made eye contact with Slade. Something about the man was just so _intimidating_ that Robin could hardly look at him straight. It could have been the fact that the man physically dominated over Robin's own physique, but Robin wasn't sure. All he knew was that he needed to get the man to talk and spill as much information as possible.

"In due time, Robin, you'll know everything you need to. Tell me, how is the dear old Bat doing?"

Robin's eyes narrowed, "What do you want with Batman?"

To Robin's surprise, Slade stopped walking to stare directly at him and shook his head. Robin stepped back as the man approached him once more; he could almost feel disappointment radiate from Slade. The familiar pain gnawed at Robin again, biting away at his soul as usual. He hated this feeling; being so _worthless_. Despite coming from his opponent, Robin couldn't shake the pain off.

The man came to a halt in front of Robin, noticing the boy's... odd reaction. He hadn't anticipated Robin's shoulders to just drop in guilt or some other emotion thrashing around inside of him. Slade mused different theories back and forth, all of them leading back to Batman. Perhaps Robin never got the praise he deserved from Batman? It was a theory more than an answer, but the pieces did indeed go together.

Slade felt a sudden curiosity overwhelm him. Did the Bat do something to instill Robin to fear disappointment? A small smile tugged at Slade's lips; there was so much more depth to the boy than he originally thought.

"It was merely a question. Not everything revolves so heavily around your mentor. It's about you, Robin. It always has been."

"Why me?" Robin shot back quickly, glaring up at the man. He longed to read something in the man's unwavering eye; however, Robin failed to see anything in Slade's eye other than his own mysterious intentions. Why would Slade want him? He never even knew Slade before.

Obviously, Slade had different reasoning, "You're unlike your teammates. Determined, hard-working, focused. Even pouring hours of research into finding me when you didn't even know my name. It's astonishing how much you're like me."

Robin's shoulders instantly tensed up and he held his wound tighter, effectively taking a step back as well. No, this man was a stalker and a criminal; he was _nothing_ like this man. He would not stand and be compared to someone as low as Slade.

"I'm nothing like you." He said hotly, clenching his free hand into a tight fist.

"Robin," Slade said as though he was talking to a small child, "How can you say that when don't know a thing about me?"

The Boy Wonder grit his teeth tightly. Slade would not talk to him like he was a little kid. Robin indeed realized he was young, only thirteen; however, that did not give Slade the right to child him. He was a hero, and he deserved respect for risking his life for hundreds of others because they couldn't do it themselves. Carrying the burden of a city earned him the right to be treated just like any other senior hero in the Justice League.

"You're a villain." Robin finally said, hardly leaving any room for debate. What more did he need to know about Slade other than he was a man who deserved to be thrown in prison? Nothing, Robin decided, because there was no gray area for Slade to wade his way through.

"Villain?" Slade asked, seeming surprised by the accusation, "Tell me, what have I done to make you jump to such a conclusion?"

Robin narrowed his eyes, "Your shipment."

"My own part in the shipment was far from illegal- helpful even. I was there to witness it and, well, you just so happened to be there as well."

"You weren't 'just there'." Robin hissed, ignoring the sharp stinging in his shoulder, "There is no way you could have guessed my team and I would have been there and know my _exact_ position. You had a bigger part. You-"

The realization hit Robin like a truck.

"You-You're the anonymous source! You _gave_ us the information to get us there exactly when you wanted us to."

"Now you're thinking." Slade said, smirking beneath the mask. Robin nearly growled; how could he have not figured this out sooner? He even explained to Wally that his attacked had to have known exactly when the mission was and where he was going to be. How could he have overlooked the mysterious source for the entire mission? The man had hidden underneath his nose the entire time!

A certain light seem to turn on above Robin's head, and Slade could practically see the gears turning. Slade remotely assumed that Robin would be searching through his own mind, trying to pinpoint exactly where he had skipped such obvious clues. And Slade had stood back and patiently watched, observing as Robin would skip over such mediocre hints. The boy became so engrossed in his work that he began to fly on autopilot and unable to see between the lines.

Robin looked to the side, drawing in an angry breath. How could he have been so _stupid_? The idea never crossed his mind; was he that obsessed with solving the puzzle that he dropped some of the pieces? Robin suddenly understood why he was treated like a child. It was because he made such foolish mistakes. His face flushed slightly with embarrassment. He was so ice-cold that the man behind the plot himself had to reveal his true intentions to Robin himself.

No wonder Batman grew tired of him.

He looked back up at Slade, "Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?" Robin asked. A sick feeling in his stomach appeared to foreshadow some unknown horror; however, Robin forced himself to ignore it. The man's catching eye didn't ease Robin's nerves either.

"Haven't I told you to be patient? You will know when you need to."

"I'd rather know now before you're behind bars." Robin said confidently.

Slade chuckled, "That's very cute, Robin, however there are some things you are indeed prepared to know now." He said darkly, his voice lowing as he stepped forward, "And I will prove that you will _never_ be able to defeat me."

Robin couldn't stop the icy chill that crept down his spine. Without warning, Slade charged at Robin, his fist pulled back to punch. The boy gasped before letting go of his injured shoulder and blocking Slade's attack. He flipped over Slade's kick and landed steadily on his feet when he was hit in the stomach so hard he fell backwards against a counter top, unable to catch his breath.

The Boy Wonder sputtered for a breath, using the furniture behind him to get off the hard ground. When he steadied himself, Slade was no longer standing before him. Robin suddenly felt like a mouse trapped in a gigantic maze. How could he fight Slade when he couldn't even see him?

There was a small, almost inaudible noise over Robin's left shoulder and the boy immediately dove in the opposite direction, rolling smoothly over the floor and landing in a crouch. Slade's boot ripped through the air where he was standing a mere second ago, and Robin was overwhelmed with relief that he moved. A kick like that would have nearly broken his collarbone, if not his entire arm. The palms of his hands began to sweat with nervousness; just how powerful was this man?

As Slade turned towards Robin, there was something unrecognizable in his steel eye, but Robin didn't have the time to think about it and instead back flipped away from Slade. He repeated the same maneuver with each of Slade's attack, narrowly dodging each of them.

"Relying on your acrobatics in the mountains had been wise," Slade said, earning a bit of a surprised look from the Boy Wonder, "However, you're on solid ground now. Keep your feet on the ground and fight."

"Don't tell me what to do." Robin hissed. He fell back into a backwards handspring to easily avoid another quick punch. When he landed in a crouch, he ducked to the side and scarcely dodged a powerful kick aimed directly for his face. The boy cackled and flipped up on one hand, twisting in the air and landing perfectly on his feet, with a comfortable distance between him and Slade. Robin struggled to hide his smile, knowing well that he was irritating the grown man.

Slade, however, did not look pleased, "If you want to win, Robin, you need to fight back." he lectured, his tone of voice dropping lower in annoyance.

"Don't lecture me." Robin growled roughly. Slade was _not_ his mentor; he was not open to receiving little hints from his opponent. At least, not if he wanted to retain what pride he had left. Who did Slade think he was anyways? Robin was sure the man didn't drop helpful hints to just any opponent.

Instead of reprimanding the boy for his attitude, Slade withdrew his bo-staff a second time. He watched as the boy visibly changed his posture, going from a light stance to a heavy one instead to better protect his chest and bleeding shoulder. To say the least, he was surprised how well Robin handled the injury. After all, the boy was only thirteen, and having his shoulder sliced open could be a major setback for anyone, especially a completely vulnerable human. However, that only begged the question: How many times had Robin been injured like that?

Slade told Robin to quit jumping around and fight, but if the boy wasn't going to listen, then Slade wouldn't waste his breath on deaf ears. Robin came off as a more _visual_ learner, and if Slade needed to beat that lesson into the boy to learn, then so be it.

So Slade pushed off the ground, cutting through the air like a sharp knife and swinging his staff at Robin's face. Robin moved to the side to dodge; however, Slade anticipated the Boy Wonder's actions, and struck where the ebony haired boy moved. The staff collided with the side of Robin's skull and Slade drew his leg towards his own chest before kicking the young teenager's bruised hip.

A small scream tore its way out of Robin's throat as his vision began to blur and spots speckled his sight. He grabbed his head in his bloody hands in a vain attempt to stop the sudden sickness in his stomach. His heart pounded in his ears, blocking out the sound of Slade approaching and kicking Robin off his knees.

The boy slid roughly against the floor and left a trail of crimson in his wake. He grunted with each smack against the floor before he managed to stick a hand out to cause enough friction to slow himself down. Robin cried out in pain when he finally stopped, his hand flying to his shoulder. The cut felt deeper than Robin originally thought, and the extra stress was only pulling the cut even further. Robin gasped for breath; he wasn't going to beat this man. Slade even said so himself.

Speaking of, a shadow draped over Robin, and the boy looked up to see Slade standing over him ominously. Robin swallowed hard, squirming backwards to get out of the man's shadow.

"G-get away." Robin said. His voice was on the borderline of cracking; however, the boy forced himself to remain calm enough to speak. Slade took a step closer to the Boy Wonder again, his staff held tightly in his fist. Robin saw his own blood staining parts of the rod, and the pain in the side of his head grew more intense because he realized he was bleeding. Darkness slowly surrounded the edges of his eyes; however, something tilted his head up underneath his chin to distract him from the shadows.. Robin followed the end of the bo-staff up to Slade's hand until he reached the man's eye.

"No, Robin. I said that I would prove to you that you will never defeat me, and I am a man of my word."

* * *

_October 19, 2012_

_{21:49 EST}_

A small ringing was in her ears when she finally drifted back to consciousness. Artemis's eyes gradually opened themselves, taking in her heavy surroundings. Upon opening her eyes, the sound flooding her ears sounded more obnoxious and she closed her eyes again. She focused her breathing to force her raging headache to subside.

Carefully, Artemis pushed herself up off the mushy Earth, unconsciously patting the dirt and mud off her backside. Her vivid grey eyes scanned over the field surrounding the Power Plant in a vain attempt to locate Superboy. She didn't know why, but she couldn't remember who or what attacked her. As much as she tried, she could only remember contacting Wally through the mental link before falling into nothingness.

Her eyes soon rested on the Power Plant itself and her jaw soon dropped in shock. The building was smoldering dark, puffy clouds of smoke which tumbled out of broken windows and invaded the air surrounding it. Small fires also danced from the windows, making Artemis nervous because of the amount of chemicals inside of the building.

She pressed forward, walking across some crushed Autumn leaves. She needed to get her teammates out of there before it blew sky high.

Artemis stalked a particularly odd trail of leaves, leading down a path of broken leaves, clipped crass, and upturned dirt. As she continued, Artemis noticed a lump not too far away from her. Squinting to pierce some of the darkness, Artemis ran forward, dropping to her knees in front of the dark mass. To her relief, it was Superboy down on the field, his chest rising and falling at a stable rate.

"S-superboy? She stuttered, quickly reaching out to shake his shoulder. Superboy turned his head to the side with a painful groan, and Artemis noticed two large scratched lining down the Krytonitian's face. Blood trickled down, going behind his ear to stick in his raven hair while the color stained his neck as well. The deep crimson was mixed with an uncomfortable amount of mud.

The clone's pair of navy eyes snapped open abruptly, landing on the blonde haired girl just as quickly.

"You're... bleeding." Superboy said slowly as he blinked a few extra times to focus his eyes on Artemis.

Artemis's eyes widened and she reached up to touch the sides of her head before reeling back. Looking at her hands, there was blood now coating the fingers on her right hand. For a second time, Artemis reached up with her clean hand and wiped underneath her nose before pulling it back to reveal even more fresh blood. The girl swallowed heavily; no wonder her head hurt so much; she own blood coated her face.

Now aware of her actual wounds, the pain on the side of her head grew more immense and she had to draw in a deep breath to keep herself from wincing in pain. Just how hard had she been hit? Artemis hesitantly reached up to feel the bridge of her nose, and from what she could feel, the thing was swollen. She concluded it may be broken, but that was not her concern at the moment.

"We need to go find the others. Before this place blows up."

That caught the clone's attention. Superboy quickly sat up, "You're right. Let's go." he said, getting to his feet and reaching down to help pull Artemis to her up as well. Together, the two of them made their way into the elaborate complex, going through the nearest door, the back entrance. Artemis lead, instructing the superteen to keep quiet to ensure that they were not caught by the bad guys invading the premise.

Following her sharp memory, Artemis attempted to guide her and Superboy though the shadows of the wide corridor on the path Kid Flash and Miss Martian should be on. After a series of turns, they finally reached a damaged hallway with two heroes inside. Kid Flash was kneeling beside Miss Martian, one hand placed gently on her shoulder and the other one wrapped around his stomach

The speedster looked over his shoulder, worry evident on his face; however, it was quickly flooded with relief when he recognized the duo at the end of the corridor. When he got a good enough look at them through the darkness, his facial expression turned concerned and his eyes seemed to brighten with him.

"Are you guys alright?" He hesitantly asked. Kid Flash looked at the blood dripping from Artemis's forehead and nose before turning to look at the muddy and bloody scratches along Superboy's cheek.

"We're fine." Artemis finally said, coming to sit by Kid Flash, "Is M'gann...?" She left an open air to her question.

"No, No. She's fine, just unconscious." Kid Flash said quickly, "She's fine." He repeated to reassure Superboy, Artemis, and even himself. The simulation still hung over their shoulders, and they could not help but jump to serious conclusions such as death.

Superboy slowly walked over, leaning against the wall by M'gann's feet, "What happened to you guys?"

"Well," Kid Flash began, "Everything was fine at first. We handled the first intruders with no problems and I grabbed my souvenir, of course, and I was attacked from behind. Mallah had me pinned up to the wall and over his shoulder, M'gann and Psimon were already in their mental battle. I tried to fight him off the best I could but..."

Kid Flash left it there, seeing no need to continue. He unconsciously held his arm closer to his stomach, twitching his fingers uncomfortably while reminiscing the battle he endured. This small action did not go unnoticed by Artemis, however.

"What happened to your arm?" She asked knowingly. The more she looked at it, the bones did look somewhat awkward, but she was no doctor.

Shrugging his shoulder, Kid Flash replied, "It's no big deal. I only broke it; it'll heal in a few days anyways."

"I'm sorry I don't have anything to tie it off with." Artemis said remorsefully, leaning over to get a closer look at his arm. Kid Flash merely shrugged again, playing it off as though it didn't hurt. In all honesty, however, it was very painful and now that the adrenaline from battling had long worn off, he desired to cut the thing off.

"What happened with you two?" Kid Flash finally asked, breaking the tension thickening the air.

It was Artemis's turn to shrug, "I don't remember."

Their eyes then turned to Superboy, "I was attacked be Klarion and his stupid pet cat. When I was busy, Klarion went inside of here. I was going to finish off the cat when someone- I think Bane- grabbed me from behind and knocked me out."

"Are you alright, my friends?" Aqualad's voice rang in suddenly, and the Atlantian stumbled through the corridor with a hand pressed to the wall. His other hand wrapped itself around the side of his stomach, his webbed hand pressing down on a large gash on the left side of his stomach. Superboy immediately moved to help Aqualad and helped move him to sit on the ground with his back against the wall.

"We're all a little banged up, but nothing fatal. How badly are you hurt?" Kid Flash asked.

Aqualad nodded softly, "Good, as long as you are all fine." He said as he closed his eyes to relax.

Artemis eyed him warily, "You're avoiding Kid's question."

"...It's only a cut, nothing too damaging. I had defeated the original intruders easily, however, Wotan soon appeared afterwords, and I was overpowered by his magic. I was not able to defeat him on my own."

"On your own?" Kid Flash asked, "Where-"

A loud tremor sounded throughout the complex, causing the walls to shake around them. The sounds were simple enough for all of them to recognize right away. The building was collapsing. Superboy reached down and picked up Miss Martian with one arm behind her back and the other one under her knees. Artemis got up and pulled Aqualad to his feet, draping his arm over his shoulder to help him walk quickly, and Kid Flash lead them through the corridor as quickly as possible.

"Hurry!" Superboy shouted, "This place is going to collapse!"

The five teens made it outside safely, stopping in the grass to check their injuries. The building behind them erupted in flames behind them, sending shattered glass in their general direction followed by a series of loud explosions.

"We must get out of here," Aqualad said, "We need to get back to the Bioship."

"Wait, where's Robin?"

The horror fell over everyone's faces faster than the building was collapsing. Gently, Superboy placed Miss Martian on the ground before turning on his heels and rushing back into the building despite the protests of his teammates. He needed to find Robin and get out of here quickly. A collapse like this would surely kill the thirteen year old boy.

Superboy immediately stopped when he was in the complex to listen for any sounds made by the Boy Wonder. He strained his ears the best he could when he heard a small cough a few corridors away. With a loud growl, Superboy ran through the flames and reached the "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY" door and pushed through it. Robin was in the center light, on his hands and knees, coughing the smoke out of his lungs.

"Robin!" Superboy shouted, sprinting next to the boy. Robin looked up, wiping a mixture of sweat and blood off his brow. Superboy gasped at the state the young hero was in; however, he wasted no more time to pick up the boy the same way he did Miss Martian, and run out the same way he came in.

"Hold on." He whispered into Robin's ear, and the boy did not hesitate to do so. Superboy yelled in anger as he jumped through the raging flames as fast as he could, shielding Robin with his own form. Robin buried his face in Superboy's chest, hacking up more of the smoke that overfilled his lungs.

The exit was only a few yards away when the ceiling began to collapse around them. The avalanche of debris began by covering the doorway and began to break away piece by piece in their general direction. Robin, too weak to do much else, pointed down a corridor to their left.

"Turn there." He said before coughing once more. Superboy nodded and dashed down the hallway as fast as he could. When the reached a second fork in the road, Robin pointed to the left once more, leading Superboy to make a quick turn to the left. The roof of the Power Plant continued to collapse behind them as though it was a snake chasing its prey through the wilderness.

"The window." Robin suddenly said, pointing up to a window a few feet above them. The younger of the two held on tightly as Superboy hurdled the two of them into the air, breaking through the window as the complex blew up behind them.

The two of them cried out when the explosion hit them, sending them further across the ground than expected. Robin flew further than Superboy did when the teenager lost his grip on the younger boy and Robin painfully felt his body get dragged across the charred grass. He bit back a loud scream each time his body smacked the ground, each time harder than the last.

He had a second skin of dirt and blood by the time he finally stopped rolling along the leaves and dirt. Robin pushed himself off the ground to his hands and knees, coughing up the last of the thick smoke in his lungs.

"R-Robin," Superboy shouted, approaching the tiny boy, "Are you okay-"

Superboy could see the boy was most definitely _not_ okay. Robin looked up at the superteen, unintentionally showing off the bleeding hole on the side of his head, the long cut across his cheek, and the bruise forming all the way around the mask on his right eye.

"N-no." Robin whispered back, looking back down at his trembling hands. "I-I'm not okay."

Superboy reached down and picked the boy up. The thirteen year old boy immediately settled into Superboy's arms, finally feeling most of the damage dealt to him. The two made it to the Bioship in record time, and Superboy pushed through the organic door as fast as he could.

"Robin needs help. Now." He said, gently putting Robin in his chair. The others gasped at the ebony haired boy's condition; however, no one said a word, and Kid Flash ran to Robin's side in half a second.

"Dude, what happened to you?" Kid Flash asked, his voice laced with concern. Robin didn't say anything and instead wiped some blood off his cheek with the back of his hand. He really didn't feel like talking at the moment. A water bottle was suddenly held in front of Robin's face, and the boy graciously took it from Kid Flash and he finally noticed the makeshift sling around his arm.

"Drink that water." He instructed his friend. Robin carefully pushed the bottle to his dry lips and took a small sip, finding it hard to hold the drink to his lips.

"Who else is hurt?" Robin asked, putting the bottle of water down. He looked through the ship to see Aqualad holding a bloody rag to his side, his breathing heavy. Superboy stood by M'gann, who remained unconscious, and Artemis moved to sit in the control center of the ship. She placed her hands on the bright orbs and the hatch closed itself and the Bioship began to hover in the air. Artemis pressed a few buttons to pull up a video chat with Mount Justice.

"Bioshop to Mount Justice." Artemis smoothly said.

An image of Green Arrow live popped up abruptly,_ "Green Arrow here. How did the mission..."_ The man dropped off his sentence there, his masked eyes going wide with shock. Five of the six teens looked up at the screen with neutral expressions, knowing very well the senior hero's next question.

_"What happened?!_" Green Arrow shouted. He looked over his shoulder to someone off-screen. "_Get the medical room prepped for all six of them. Now."_

His eyes fell back onto the screen, concern evident in his face. Behind the mask, his eyes fluttered back and forth between all of them. Green Arrow didn't understand; this had been a simple stake out mission. They weren't even required to engage in any fighting, so how on earth did they all manage to get beaten so badly?

Green Arrow sighed and rubbed his chin. Maybe the kids were out of their league. Perhaps allowing them to form the team was a mistake.

Kaldur straightened up in his seat and cleared his throat before speaking, "The mission had started out successfully," He began, "However not long into the mission, we were ambushed by men from what we assumed was the League of Shadows. Those battles died quickly and we were all attacked by much stronger villains. As the battles went on, being separated as a whole, we were defeated easily."

_"Who attacked you?"_

"Wotan from the Injustice League ambushed myself, Artemis and Superboy were defeated by Bane from Santa Prisca and Klarion, M'gann was attacked by Psimon from Bialya, and Kid was taken down by Monsieur Mallah. And Robin..." Kaldur left his reply open-ended for Robin to fill in from there.

Hesitantly, Robin spoke up, his voice not much louder than a whisper, "Monsieur Mallah. He... he attacked me too."

Robin zoned out as Kaldur and Green Arrow continued to speak with each other. He knew that the Atlantian would question him about what happened to him later, but Robin hardly cared at the moment. His entire body felt as though he had been hit by a truck, and Robin thought back to how he got each of his major injuries.

By far, his shoulder burned the most. His thin fingers gripped around the open wound tightly, effectively squeezing out more blood. He could only think about the precise aim it had taken Slade to hit his shoulder perfectly, narrowly scrapping over his collar-bone, yet managing to delve deep into the flesh around it. Robin pondered how Slade managed to knock away seven of his bat-a-rangs without missing a beat. If anything, one should have at least hit the man. He threw them all at the _same time_, and how Slade succeeded in blocking all of them, even _catching_ one between two fingers left Robin in a state of awe.

The man could do so much more than Robin originally anticipated. For all he knew, Slade was even better than Batman. Robin couldn't tell how much Slade would hold back, yet judging his more serious injuries, Robin just felt as though that was not even the man's full potential. More than anything, that was what terrified Robin. Just knowing how easily Slade managed to take him down made his blood run cold.

Robin cringed as the Bioship jostled him in his chair. Without even looking, Robin could tell that there were heavy and dark bruises forming on his side. One, he could guess, the straight edge of a counter top, and the other one in the shape of a boot print. Robin knew he bound himself to having a challenging time answering Batman's question's later when the mark resembles a boot and not the foot of a giant monkey.

Speaking of Batman, Robin was surprised that the man was not the one to answer the call. Of all the members of the League off the space mission, he expected Batman out of all of them to wait to hear how the mission went. Robin stopped himself, however, because Batman was too busy to care about him or the team.

A bitter smile twitched at the corners of Robin's mouth before falling back into a tight line. Did Batman only see him as tool to help fight crime? Did he really mean nothing to the man? Something inside of Robin had known this day was coming. The day he finally figured out the truth between him and Batman. He should have expected it sooner; the man hadn't even wanted him at first. Bruce Wayne had dropped Dick Grayson at the Manor, leaving Alfred to fill the empty void Bruce ripped open even further.

Then there was always the small angel on Robin's shoulder, telling him how much Bruce loves him and would never think to send him back to the orphanage. And Robin tricked himself into believing that without the slightest care in the world. After the death of his parents, he didn't have much else to grab on to.

Now, however, Robin could see the cracks in the glass. He could reach out and trace the lines with his finger, but under enough pressure, it would break.

It was times like these that Robin hated to spend in solitude. When all he wanted was his own mentor to reach out and just give a smile and a hug for once. However, what Robin got was a man with the heart of coal and the burden of a dark city on his shoulders. Robin understood why he was pushed to the side, and he forced himself to accept it. Why should he, over all the people in Gotham, get Batman's and Bruce Wayne's undivided attention?

_How much does Batman **really** care about you, Robin? _

Slade's smooth voice ran through Robin's head. The same taunting voice that haunted his own mind without the assistance of an outside voice. Robin didn't know the answer either. He didn't know how much Batman cared about him because the man would lock himself in his own shadows of the city. And there was never any room for Robin. Batman or Bruce never seemed to have time for Robin, not even after an experience close to as traumatizing as his parents' deaths. Bruce hardly batted an eyelash back then, let alone now.

Its _always_ been for the sake of the mission.

Robin didn't know he could despise a simple phrase _so much_. To always take the back seat in his own mentor's eyes because the mission was more important. Bruce gave him everything except the one thing he needed: A father that was always there for him. But that could never happen in Batman's world, because whenever there were civilians that needed to be saved, Robin could never compare.

He longed to just one day look up from his ending stance of a challenging move, and to see his mentor smiling down at him. All Robin needed to do was earn the man's approval to represent how thankful he was to Batman. He never wanted to disappoint Batman; however, Robin felt as though it was the only thing he _could_ do.

The Bioship came to a halt and pulled into the garage of Mount Justice. Superboy took M'gann into his arms, Artemis moved to Kaldur to act as a makeshift crutch, and Kid Flash helped Robin walk out of the ship and towards the medical bay.

Robin could have laughed; they all looked positively _dreadful_. This could easily be the worst condition they ever returned in and then the irony of it being the easiest mission to date.

"Who needs to be treated first?" Green Arrow asked, "Black Canary and I are the only ones here until Batman shows up."

"R-Robin needs attention first." Kaldur stuttered as Artemis helped him lower himself onto a medical bed, "And then Artemis or M'gann."

Artemis rolled her eyes, "I'm fine, Kaldur. You and Robin go first."

The senior heroes didn't stall and longer, and Green Arrow came up to Robin and Black Canary did the same for Kaldur. Robin bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from crying out when Green Arrow tilted his chin up higher to look at his face. The archer proceeded to wipe Robin's cheek with a cloth, only to have the dried blood quickly replaced with fresh, metallic crimson.

"Listen," Green Arrow said, "I'm no doctor, but-"

"Then step away." Came Batman's gruff voice from the doorway. Robin flinched out of Green Arrow's gasp and moved his head to the side. He didn't want Batman to see him in such a broken condition, especially after he warned them not to come back if they failed.

Batman quickly stalked up to Robin, who sat on the medical table. He bent forwards and tilted Robin's head up to closer examine the boy's cheek. Batman gently ran his thumb over the dark bruise over Robin's eye.

"Does it hurt?" He quietly asked. Robin only nodded slightly, not trusting his own voice to speak for him. Batman reached for the wet rag Green Arrow had abandoned and took it into his gloved hand. He reached up and quickly wiped the blood away from Robin's temple before grabbing the roll of gauze off the side table and began to wrap Robin's head. The ebony haired boy mentally sighed; humiliated, once again, because he looked like a mummy.

Batman began to wipe the cut across Robin's cheek, "Someone," He began darkly, "Explain to me what happened this evening."

Wally took a deep breath before speaking to ensure he didn't talk in superspeed, "We had only been about a half an hour into the mission when the Power Plant was ambushed by guys in dark uniforms. Our best guess is the League of Shadows, but they were all easy enough to defeat. But afterwards, We got individually ambushed. I targeted by Monsieur Mallah and so was Rob, Kaldur by Wotan, M'gann by Psimon, and Artemis and Superboy were attacked by Klarion and his demonic pet cat. With all the fighting, the Plant caught on fire, and, well... boom."

Robin nearly cringed at Wally's description of what happened. Granted he didn't actually know himself, but Robin was sure even Superboy could have done better than that. He felt Batman remove the cape from around his neck and shoulders, letting it crumple next to the boy himself. Robin shut his eyes and looked away from his shoulder, fearing how Batman would react to seeing it.

A surprised gasp met his ears; however, it wasn't from Batman, but his teammates. Robin didn't want to look to see how bad the damage was, so instead he met the gaze of his mentor. The man had his masked eyes narrowed at the wound and he reached out behind him to tug the curtain around the bed. The Boy Wonder began to remove his uniform shirt, thankful that Batman pulled over the curtain so he didn't have to worry about his teammates seeing his scars.

He winced as he pulled his shirt over his head and Batman made a disgruntled noise from where he stood. Robin looked down at his side, and the entire right half of his torso was bruised. That wasn't all that caught Batman's eye. There was a heavy trail of blood dripping down his left side from the boy's shoulder wound.

"How did an ape manage to cut you up so badly?"

"T-there wear beakers and vials, and-"

"There were no labs on the path you were instructed to take." Batman said warily, feeling his temper begin to rise.

"I know... I- I went into one of the labs and-"

"You _what_?"

Everyone on the other side of the curtain froze at the harshness of Batman's tone. On the flip side, Robin visibly cringed, sinking further back onto the hard medical bed. Robin sat there stunned, staring up into the angry eyes of his mentor.

"I told you to stick _directly_ to that path." Batman growled, his voice rising dangerously fast, "What were you thinking?!"

Robin opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. What could he say while gazing directly into the eye of a tornado of rage and fury.

_"Well?!"_

"I-I don't know!" Robin stuttered, "I just thought there was something down there."

Batman narrowed his eyes, "You just _thought_ something was there? When I tell you to do something, Robin, there are no exceptions. Do you even remember what happened last time?"

The ebony haired boy broke eye contact, unable to witness Batman's disappointed glare any longer. The last time he disobeyed Batman's orders was a year ago after Batman firmly instructed him to stay home. Joker had been on a rampage throughout the city, and Robin was forbidden to come along. However, being upset, Robin sought Joker on his own and found him long before Batman did. Simply put, the night ended in a bloodbath.

"You're the one who always says to follow a hunch!" Robin spoke up suddenly, moving his head towards Batman's face again. He had no idea if his teammates were on the other side of the ugly, teal curtain, but Robin couldn't make himself care even if he tried.

"It's different when solving a case, Robin, than being out in the field. It's different if I'm there. You could have been killed."

"Why do you even care? Because you'd lose all the time and money you've invested in me?"

"What?" Batman asked, simply stunned by the words coming from his adoptive son's mouth, "Why would you even think that?"

Robin hopped off the bed despite his body's protests. He glared at Batman, his voice up to a shout, "Because you're never around! You never ask me if I'm alright unless I'm covered in blood, you don't tell me 'good job' or anything, and everyone else in Gotham always comes before me! You tell me how I'm supposed to feel after all of that."

Batman grabbed the gauze off the table beside himself and began to wrap Robin's bleeding shoulder. The boy desired to slap Batman's hand away and do it himself, but he remained still, giving his mentor the cold-shoulder instead. On the other side of the curtain, there was an uncomfortable cough to signify the others were still in the room. Robin sighed and looked down, taking the wet rag off the same table beside Batman and slowly wiped the remaining blood off of his lithe stomach.

Footsteps began to shuffle out of the medical room, and Robin figured they were either done or decided to move elsewhere in the mountain. Robin couldn't blame them with the amount of tension building up in the condensed room. If he could, Robin would have bolted out that door as well.

Time ticked on as Batman began to wrap Robin's chest, briefly instructing the young boy to raise his arms above his head. Robin painfully did so, removing his gloves as he did so. The stench of blood was thick in the air, but Robin managed to ignore it. He grew accustomed to the sickening smell, but that never made standing in the scent any easier for him.

Robin vaguely wondered if Batman would dare to touch the topic again. A piece of him wanted him to drop the subject entirely and forget it over time; however, he longed to have Batman just sit beside him like he would as when Robin was a child, and make things right between the two of them. Robin knew that he would never get such an answer out of Batman, but he couldn't stop himself from hoping that just this once, Batman would fix everything like a father was supposed to do. Before, Robin appreciated the fact that Bruce never tried to take over his father's place.

But right now, he wanted nothing more than a father he could look up to.

When Batman finished tending to Robin's wounds, ending by placing a white patch of gauze over the opening on Robin's cheek, the man sat down on the bed with an audible sigh. Robin continued to awkwardly sit where he was, occasionally stealing a glance over at Batman.

"Robin," Batman softly began, "I care so much about you. I'm never home because I can't risk you getting hurt out there."

Robin mused over his mentor's words. Even if he appreciated Batman saying that, it still wasn't the same as telling Robin that he was proud of the boy. Gently, Robin pushed himself off the bed and slowly walked to the door. He stopped, hunched in the doorway, and gazed back at Batman.

"I know you care, Batman." Robin said, "But I also know that I'll never be good enough for you, and you'll never have what it takes to replace my father."

He didn't wait to hear if Batman had anything more to say, and he didn't care if he hurt the man's feelings. Robin felt so irrationally upset that he couldn't be in the same room as his mentor for another minute. This wasn't the first time they had a huge blow out over something similar to this, but it never got any easier for either of the Dynamic Duo.

Robin limped his way into the lounge of Mount Justice and his teammates met him with a warm smile. M'gann had been placed in her bedroom with Black Canary, but here sat Conner with bandages on the side of his face. Wally had his left arm in a proper cast, Artemis had a bandage over her swollen nose and gauze around her forehead. Finally, on the end, Kaldur had his shirt removed with a thick amount of bandages around his stomach and torso.

The ebony haired boy took a seat with his teammates in front of the television screen, thankful to have a loose shirt over the bandages on his pale torso. The television screen remained blank because someone had lost the remote for it so the five teens sat in comfortable silence.

"Hey, Robin." Conner said suddenly, glancing over at the youngest in the room, "Since none of us are doing anything, we should help you with your research."

Robin visibly froze, "What research?" He slowly asked, beginning to fear the worst.

"The research about your attacker in the Rockies." Artemis finished. "We figured you could use some help-"

"You told?!" Robin yelled loudly, getting to his feet and glaring at Kaldur.

The Atlantian looked up at the younger from his spot on the sofa, "Yes, because as a team, we should aid each other when we need it." Kaldur further explained, gently putting his hands up to signify that he meant well. The teenager had feared that Robin would react like this, but telling the team had been necessary. As leader, he couldn't have a secret like that risk ruining the friendships built between all of them.

"I _trusted_ you! You swore you wouldn't tell! Did that mean nothing to you?!"

Wally scratched the side of his head, "Dude, calm down. He was just trying to help out. We don't want you to get obsessive over this guy or anything. We _can_ help, you know."

Robin didn't bother to say anything else. He turned and marched out the door as fast as he could manage in his current state. He never felt so alone before; like he couldn't trust anyone. What did he do to deserve absolute solitude? If he couldn't trust, Alfred, Bruce, or any of his teammates, what did he have left?

When he made it into his room, Robin locked the door behind himself. He stumbled into his bed, feeling tears threaten to burn his eyes. He was completely and utterly alone. Just like how he had been after the training simulation. With a groan, Robin tugged his blanket up to his shoulders and relaxed into his pillow, forcing back the bitter tears that craved to spill over the brim of his eyelids.

His life was falling apart before his own two eyes.

**-X-**

**A/N: So there is chapter 6 for my fabulous readers out there! Thank you all so much for the reviews for the last chapter; I seriously can't believe how popular my own fanfiction is getting. Its so crazy! **

**But please, leave a review, it means the world to me, and add this fic to your favorites! It's the little things like that help the most in my eyes.**

**Always~**

**Hallo'sEve**


	7. Perception

**A/N: I really want to thank everyone for all follows and for favorites ^_^ It really boosts me to power through writer's block- which I happened to have been plagued with while writing this entire chapter. **

**Also, thanks for all the reviews! Chapter 6 alone got the most reviews so far and great news! We reached 100 reviews! Even though I can't individually thank all of you, I really, really appreciate every comment, long or short. I read each one at least few times, and I really take into consideration what is written there. Every little bit helps me so much, so I just wanted to say thanks!**

**And I know some of you out there may be waiting for Slade to finally take Robbie, but I promise, it's coming soon :D I just have to set the stage for it, but it isn't going to be much longer :)**

**Let's begin!**

**-X-**

* * *

_Chapter 7_

_October 22, 2012_

_{11:46 EST}_

Five days drifted by since the failure at the Burke Power Plant, and a whole week since the Rockies Mission as well. The air at Mount Justice became so strained that it could break as easily as stained glass windows. To say the least, all the young heroes were physically and emotionally drained.

Robin sat quietly in his bedroom, having remained there for a majority of the past five days. He couldn't bring himself to eat much or even get more than an hour or two of rest each night. With the weight of recent events weighing down on his shoulders, Robin could feel himself cracking under the pressure. He lacked the energy to go anything. What was there to do when his team fell apart along with the relationship with his mentor?

Absolutely nothing.

He wasn't _needed_ anymore.

It proved to be a tough pill to swallow, but Robin managed to choke it down. He looked to the side to gaze at his laptop siting on his desk. Not even uncovering the truth behind Slade could redeem Robin from the corner he was backed into. Robin was more than aware he could march straight to Bruce, tell him every word about Slade; how the mysterious stranger was manipulating them all like a puppet master and how much Slade clearly knew about the team and Batman, and wait to see what his mentor had to say about it.

But what would that change?

The truth wouldn't fix that awful and disappointed look on Batman's face; it wouldn't get his mentor to begin training him again; and it wouldn't help Robin connect the puzzle pieces any quicker. If anything, it proved that Robin couldn't handle this on his own.

While exhaling heavily, Robin drew his knees close to his chest and rested his chin on his kneecaps. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. There were too many variables unaccounted for and missing numbers. Slade could be anyone, either from Gotham City or even some place in California, and Robin still had no leads on this mysterious man whatsoever. All his wasted research left him running around like a chicken with its head chopped off.

That much infuriated Robin more than anything.

Robin grabbed a fist full of his comforter tightly, bowing his head forward to rest against his knees. He searched for _hours_ to find out who this man was when he already had a lead on Slade! All he needed to do was ask Batman where he got the original mission information from and walk backwards from there. It was so _simple_. Robin couldn't believe he was stupid enough to miss that.

Slowly, he brought his head back up and released his blanket, letting the scrunched blanket flatten out once again. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if he spent more time researching Slade. Maybe he should have asked his teammates for help instead of blowing them off the second they offer their assistance. Maybe if he just _asked_ Bruce for help then he wouldn't feel so _alone_ right now.

He ran a hand through his hair, messing up the dark locks resting on his head. Robin was plagued by so many maybes, so many different choices he could have- _should_ have made that it drove him insane. But Robin knew dwelling on his mistakes wasn't going to change anything; it would only make him bitter.

Robin's gaze fell onto his laptop resting on his dresser, having gone untouched for days. The longer he looked, the more Robin felt drawn to open it up and turn on the power. Where would that lead him though? To another dead-end? Another day of hours poured into researching a man he hardly knew? Robin sighed heavily, tearing his eyes away from his laptop. He wasn't going to fall into that endless void of studying again. He wouldn't prove anyone right; he wouldn't become _obsessed_ with Slade; he wouldn't become Batman.

But that was exactly who he was becoming, wasn't it?

It all began with the training simulation, the mentally engineered scenario that haunted them all. Robin was disgusted with himself; he willingly sacrificed his own teammates- his _friends_, just for the sake of the mission. Did their lives really mean so little to Robin that he could just throw them out to waste away, just to end up on top?

Robin tried to convince himself otherwise. It had been his only option to try to save what was left of the human race. He did what he had to do as a hero. To make sure the innocent made it out alive. He managed to send them to their deaths without a second thought.

Real or not, was the mission _ever_ worth that much?

Not like he had much of a team anymore. The failed simulation did more than hurt them; it traumatized them. Shattering the first pillar that held the structure upright and left the rest to crumple like dominoes at Robin's feet. Lack of trust, dishonesty, pain, loss, deception, fear, hatred. The burning remains of what little the team managed to hold on to the past few days.

Robin had done exactly what Batman wanted, right? Sacrifice everything he had left, everyone he had left, for the victory. Betray his own moral code and sentence his best friends to death one by one just to have them die in vain. But everything had to be for the sake of the mission.

How could something so gruesome ever be worth it?

He had watched, silently staring with unshed tears, as his life was ripped in half and buried six feet under. Waking up after the mission, realizing he wasn't alone should have been a relief. Robin should be able to laugh, sit and talk with this friends, be able to move on from the hideous events that they all witnessed in their own minds, and to overcome the horrors of the real world.

The only thing Robin was able to do was watch his world crumple apart for a third time.

What had he done to make him deserve a fate such as this? One where his mentor gave up on him, his teammates didn't trust him, and he hardly had a home to turn back to. Why did he get dealt poisonous cards? Was he truly so awful that no one could manage to stay in his life for as long as Robin needed for once?

Why did everyone have to leave him behind?

Robin dropped his head into his open hands, breathing slowly to try and calm himself down. Getting flustered and upset wasn't going to change a thing. It wouldn't fix the broken bridge between him and Bruce, it wouldn't mend the cracked pieces of his trust, and it certainly wouldn't draw him any closer to solving the case and cracking the code about who Slade is.

He stiffened suddenly, his shoulders tensing as he brought his face back up to stare blankly at his wall. Slade hardly crossed his mind the past few days. Robin found himself too distracted by the sorrowful faces of his teammates and cracked up excuses they had for Kaldur's betrayal. He hardly processed any of the words his friends spoke, but he heard them all right. Every apology, every excuse. They were all muddled into a pile of dirt and tossed to the side. Robin didn't want the comfort or condolences. Words couldn't fix the trust that was so carelessly destroyed.

Slade effortlessly exploited Robin's mistrust because he knew Robin would be too headstrong to have Aqualad come with him. Robin couldn't wrap his head around why Slade would have such an interest in him when all he could manage to do was disappoint everyone.

Nothing explained why Slade was so intrigued. He wasn't after the Team, or the League, or even Batman. Slade only cared about Robin. Just Robin. But why?

Merely speaking Slade's name made the man sound worthy of power and dominance over anyone that dared stand in his way. And Robin was no fool. Of course he feared the man's strength. Slade was at least a foot taller than him, not to mention he was pure brains and muscle. He had to be joking if he didn't respect the control Slade already had over him. A man like Slade was too dangerous to underestimate.

However, Slade hadn't been the only one with a plan that day. Robin knew he had to test Slade as well, gathering as much information on the man as he could. He willingly admitted that he did get hit quite a few more times than he liked, but by doing so, he could feel Slade holding back. Slade never tried to seriously damage him. It was nothing like fighting Joker or Two Face. Everything Slade had said and done had a purpose, an ultimate motive as though it was one string tied into the web of the master plan he had in store.

A knock on his bedroom door took Robin away from his thoughts. He quickly pushed himself off his bed, grabbing his sunglasses and slipping them over his eyes in the process. Another series of knocks quickly barraged his door and Robin rolled his eyes, guessing that it was the speedster on the other side. He slid the door open to see Wally while he tapped his foot impatiently. Wally looked up at the sound of the door opening and immediately made eye contact with the Boy Wonder.

"Hey, Rob." Wally greeted, "M'gann is making lunch so we were wondering if you wanted to join us."

"No thanks." Robin said curtly, taking a short step backwards into his bedroom. He moved to close the door when Wally's hand clasped around the door and prevented it from sliding completely shut. Annoyed, Robin looked back up at his red-haired friend with a scowl on his face.

"What?" He hotly asked.

"You've hardly even left your room the past few days." Wally bluntly replied, opening the door again. He unintentionally looked over Robin's shoulder and glanced around the boy's room. There were papers scattered over the floor along with messy bed sheets and a few pillows across the room from Robin's bed. Wally restrained himself from raising an eyebrow; Robin's room was usually kept exceptionally neat and clean with a nearly professionally made bed. The fact that his quarters were like this now was unsettling.

"I'm not interested."

Wally moved his attention back to the young hero, "Your room's a mess."

"So?" Robin hesitantly asked, slightly glancing back over his shoulder. If Alfred were to walk into his room, Robin was sure the Englishman would throw a fit over the mess and mutter something about how Robin could be too much like Bruce sometimes before sighing dramatically and help Robin clean his room.

"Your room is always neat."

"You're one to talk," Robin said, "You can hardly even see the _floor_ in your room!"

Wally stepped past the boy and into his room despite the glare he got from the younger teenager, "But your room is always clean. Something's obviously still bothering you."

His lips pulled into a tight frown and he lowered himself to one knee, picking up one the nearest sheet of paper and held it up. Wally opened his mouth to read out loud when Robin ripped it out of his hand and proceeded to kick the papers underneath his bed. The redheaded teen pushed himself up off the ground, scowling down at Robin.

"Mind sharing what those were?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Robin finished kicking the last of the papers beneath his bed, "They're nothing." He muttered and pulled his comforter over the edge of his bed to cover the papers underneath his mattress.

"Robin, I'm worried about you. Your room's a mess, you're keeping secretes, and you've practically been obsessed with whoever it is your researching!"

"It doesn't concern you," Robin roughly replied while using his bed to pick himself off the ground, "So quit butting in."

The speedster rolled his eyes, "You can't keep blowing off your friends like this. We're just trying to help you! It's what friends are supposed to do!"

It was now Robin's turn to roll his eyes and scoff at the older boy. Wally really wasn't planning on lecturing _him_ on how friends are supposed to act, was he? That idea in itself would be hypocritical of the speedster to say. Friends don't talk about each other behind their backs or go back on their promises.

"Friends?" Robin echoed roughly, "Friends that talk about me behind my back? Friends that can't even keep their word?"

"You're doing the exact same!"

A silence fell between the two boys and Robin shyly looked away, a frown plastered on his face. He wasn't the one at fault here. He didn't talk about any of his teammates behind their backs and he especially never went back on something he swore to secrecy. Spending his time researching to find a man in order to protect himself and his team was by no means a poor choice. Perhaps he did take things a bit too far, but Slade wasn't a man to be underestimated and if it meant keeping everyone he cared about safe, he was willing to do it. _That_ was being a good friend. _That_ was how much he cared.

"Look," Wally calmly started, breaking he silence that overshadowed the room, "We all made our share of mistakes over the past couple of days and Kaldur is really trying to fix it."

"Oh, is that why he sent you instead of coming himself?" Came Robin's sharp reply.

"D-...Robin, listen to me." Wally hesitantly said, putting his hand on Robin's shoulder. The younger boy tensed, clearly hearing the near slip up with his secret identity. Wally was one of the few people who actually knew Robin's identity, and if the teen dare try and use Robin's real name in the Mountain, there was no way Robin would be able to recover from that broken trust.

"Kaldur didn't mean to hurt you. All we wanted to do was help you. We're supposed to be a team, help each other. When Kal told us, he thought he was doing the right thing."

Robin bit his lip, casting his gaze to the floor, "Would you have done it? What Kaldur did, I mean."

With a sigh, Wally dropped his hand off the Boy Wonder's shoulder, "I don't know, Rob. I probably would have asked why you're keeping it a secret in the first place."

"It's a lot more complicated than just stowing away in my room." Robin said, bringing his head back up, "I'm doing what's best for all of us. You just don't understand."

"Then explain to me what I don't get!" Wally abruptly shouted, his voice rising, "I'm supposed to be your best friend!"

"I know that! I-I don't know what to do. I just..."

_Feel like my life is falling apart._

Robin let go of his breath softly, rubbing his elbow with one hand. He knew Wally meant well, the speedster always did, but that didn't help Robin feel any less lost or alone. He didn't want his best friend right now; he wanted someone to tell him everything was going to be fine. Just someone to help him when he while he was at a loss and confused.

He needed a mentor.

But Robin wasn't sure he had one now.

"Let's just go have lunch." Robin finally spoke, his voice soft. He reluctantly stepped past Wally and into the cool hallway. He hadn't noticed how stuffy and tense it had gotten in his room, but he didn't care. Wally stepped out shortly after Robin did, the door sliding shut behind them. Together, the two young heroes walked towards the kitchen in pure silence other than the light sound of stockings tapping against the smooth floor. Robin pushed his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose, focusing on what he would say to his teammates when they walked through the doorway.

His time to think was cut short when Wally and himself stepped into the kitchen. Their teammates, Conner, M'gann, Artemis, and Kaldur sat on the sofas across the room as M'gann used her powers to serve lunch to the four of them. She turned around suddenly, seeing Robin and Wally in the kitchen. Instantly, her smile brightened and she levitated towards them.

"Robin! Wally!" M'gann beamed, "Your plates are on the table over there." She pointed across the room to the two plates, one full of food and the other one with a normal amount, "And I was just about to get homemade lemonade I made from the fridge. We were just waiting for you guys."

Wally didn't need to be told twice. The speedster grinned and shouted his thanks as he sped to his spot on the soft coach. He pulled his large portion of food over his lap, taking a sandwich in one hand and biting a large piece off. Robin rolled his eyes, following in Wally's steps less enthusiastically. He took his seat beside the speedster and looked down at the plate of food before him. Any appetite he had seemed to fly out the door when he felt the pairs of eyes fall onto him.

A short minute or two crawled by when Robin finally took a small bite out of his sandwich. Was it always this quiet when they ate together?

No, something was definitely off. There was no static from the enormous television set in the room and the laughter that typically jarred the Mountain couldn't be found. Robin softly sighed and pushed his plate away from himself. Food worsened the sickened feeling inhabiting his stomach and the atmosphere constricted the air around him.

He could feel everyone's eyes falling onto him once more, many of them traveling from his nearly full plate of food and then up to the familiar shade of black. They were worried about him, and Robin couldn't blame them. Although his friends hurt him, Robin hadn't been very trust worthy these past few days either. That knowledge sickened his stomach even more.

More time ticked by and no one bothered to move or make any form of conversation. Slowly, Robin stood up from his seat, turning to leave the room.

"I'm gonna go rest for awhile, guys." He softly said, "I'm not really feeling too well. Thanks for the lunch, M'gann."

The Martian girl nodded although his back was turned as he continued to press down the hallway. He kept his footsteps quiet as he approached his bedroom door, the hallway appearing to be endless. Robin felt his breath catch in his throat as he stopped walking abruptly and fell against the wall. An invisible force seemed to press down against his chest, making it harder for him to breathe.

His body trembled as he pressed against the wall. Robin shut his eyes tightly, flattening his hands out against the wall behind him. He counted backwards from ten slowly and took in a deep breath on every even number. Slowly, he felt himself calm down, his heart relaxing against his chest.

Opening his soft blue eyes, Robin bent down to pick his abandoned sunglasses up off the floor. He hadn't noticed them slip off his face, but he pushed them back over his eyes indifferently. Robin leaned against the wall a few more moments before continuing down the hallway once more. Once he reached his bedroom door, Robin quickly put in his pass code, roughly closing the door behind himself. He sat down on his bed and turned on the lamp beside his bed.

Bruce had determined those to be miniature panic attacks. Struggling to breathe, shaking, dizziness, nausea. Similar symptoms to panic attacks, but it was something Robin was capable of controlling on his own, without medication or assistance from someone else.

His father, John Grayson, had a similar problem from what Robin could remember. Robin always wondered how his father could still manage to perform for years in front of a crowd in a raving circus with his condition. According to Bruce, it only occurred after traumatic experiences, such as after the death of his parents or more recently, the failed training simulation. As a child, during his first attack, his father told him to count down from ten, breathing in deeply on the even numbers. With his father's hand gently pressed on his back, Robin always found himself able to calm down again.

When he first started living at Wayne Manor, Bruce would do the same thing. Robin would count out loud with Bruce's hand rubbing his back, but it was never the same as his own father's hand. It didn't have the same fatherly touch Robin longed for. Even Alfred had tried, but nothing was ever the same as it had been with his dad.

Robin sighed softly, removing his glasses and putting them beside his lamp. He reached up and turned the light off before settling down into his bed. Hopefully a short nap would be help clear his mind.

* * *

_October 22, 2012_

_{13:39 EST}_

"Does anyone else thing Robin seemed a bit... off?" Asked Artemis as she put her empty plate beneath Robin's abandoned one. The archer wiped her hands on her sweatpants before carrying their plates to the kitchen. She dumped Robin's food into the trash compactor and dropped the plates into the soapy sink water.

Kaldur soon walked in after her with his own empty plate in his webbed hands, "I do agree that Robin was acting rather unusual. Kid, did Robin say anything when you asked him to join us?"

The teen spoken to shrugged, "Nothing out of the ordinary." Said Wally hesitantly. The image of Robin's messy room and the boy shoving the stray papers under his bed crossed his mind, but Wally forced himself to ignore it. "He's been under a lot of stress lately. All of us have been."

"That may be the case." M'gann piped in, "But I could just sense so many emotions just coming off of him. He's normally so relaxed but recently he's just been-"

"Just drop it, okay?" Wally harshly said, carrying a stack of plates to the kitchen to drop in the sink as well. Both Connor and Artemis gave him a weird look, but Wally decided to keep his head down instead. It wouldn't be his place to tell them everything that's going on with Robin, especially when the young hero felt alone. If the team would just quit prodding for answers, Wally figured they'd all be in better condition than they were now.

Artemis hopped up on the island to sit, "Chill out, Wally, she was just making a point. I get it that we're all stressed, but Robin's been silent for days. We're worried about him too, you know."

The final two heroes stepped into the kitchen, M'gann telepathically carrying both her and Connor's plates to the sink. From there, M'gann put the dishes into the dishwasher beside the sink. She put in the empty glasses on the top portion of the washer and the dishes in the bottom rack. Then she put in the soap before closing the machine and turning it on.

Wally leaned against the counter tops, tapping his foot against the ground rapidly, "The past missions have been bothering him."

"So?" Conner sharply asked, "We were all there too."

"It's different." Wally snapped, glaring up at the superteen.

Artemis rolled her eyes, "How would you know? You can't tell what we're all thinking."

The floodgates of silence opened up and poured into the room where the five teens resided. Their eyes fell to the Martian girl and the air in the room grew still. Obviously, all the teenagers had the same idea at the same time. M'gann was a telepath. The girl could easily infiltrate the boy's mind so they could know what was really bothering him.

"No." Wally said, being the first to recover from the silent spell, "No, no, no. That is not a good idea."

Kaldur rubbed his eyes with one hand, "I believe that having M'gann read Robin's mind could be a good idea. We could find out what has been troubling him recently."

There were a few nods of agreement, but Wally was not one of them, "That's such an invasion of privacy. You, of all people, Supes, should know that. You were mentally grown for months! And you're meaning to tell me now that it's alright to read someone's mind without them knowing?"

"I'm sure M'gann could read his emotions without going far into his mind," Kaldur calmly cut in before Connor could snap back at the speedster, "We will not prod into his life outside of the team. We just wish to know what is bothering him."

"I can do that. I'll just pop in to learn what's been causing his emotions to go crazy, and then I'll get out." M'gann softly said, looking down at her fingers instead of making eye contact with any of them. She knew she would be capable of only reading some of the Boy Wonder's thoughts without delving in too deep.

Artemis brushed a hair out of her face, "So it's settled then. Just to find out what's going through Bird Boy's head."

M'gann, Connor, and Kaldur all nodded; however, Wally gruffly folded his arms over his chest, his emerald eyes narrowed. How could they _not_ see how wrong it was to read someone's mind like that? And Kaldur. How could the most levelheaded person on this team agree to mind reading?

"Guys, this isn't a good idea." Wally tried again to talk sense into one of them, "Rob probably feels like he can't trust us already. And we're all supposed to be his best friends. If anything, we could just go and _ask_ him what's bothering him."

Conner spoke up, "We can't go ask him when he refuses to even talk to us." He pointed out numbly.

"And as his closest friends, we should find out what's wrong with him. He's probably just having a hard time admitting it to himself first. So by having M'gann read his mind, we can help him through it." Said Artemis. She tried to put herself into Robin's shoes. Even with her secretes, and she did have plenty of those, Artemis trusted M'gann to stay away from her memories and deal strictly to what's causing such trauma in her own mind. Robin likely felt the same way, after all, they both had secretes to keep locked away from the team.

"Think about it," Wally began, "If you're upset, do you want someone else digging through your mind _without_ you knowing it?"

Artemis was the first to nod, followed by a curt nod of his head from Kaldur, and a slight shrug from the superteen. Wally forced himself not to yell at them. How could they all be so dense?

"I won't be reading his mind exactly," M'gann said, glancing up at the speedster, "My Uncle J'onn taught me to interprate someone's emotions, and I can link it back to the most recent and strongest memory causing it. The furthest back it should take me is within this week. I won't be butting into Robin's personal life or anything."

Kaldur nodded before folding his arms over his chest, "And as Robin's teammates and friends, we should do all we can to help him."

The group looked to Wally, who had finally stopped tapping his foot at superspeed. The speedster appeared to be torn, as if considering the pros and cons of both options. In all honesty, Wally did want to know what was driving Robin insane, far enough to break his usual habits. Maybe by reading Robin's mind, they could find out what's going on before it causes Robin to go crazy.

"You're sure he won't be able to tell you're reading his mind?" Wally asked finally, looking to the green skinned girl. She gave him a small smile and nodded once. Swallowing, Wally stared back at the others, "Go on and do it then. I want to know what's bothering him too."

M'gann nodded and levitated in the air, folding her legs beneath her. She sat with one leg over the other and had her hands closed tightly around each knee. Slipping her eyes shut tightly, M'gann took in a deep and calming breath before she felt her mind and spirit temporarily detatch from her own soul and drift into the open.

Four other minds in the room compelled her spirit to go into one of them, but M'gann brushed past them and searched for Robin's mind instead. She levitated through the thick walls of Mount Justice, a heavy and dark shadow omitting from them. M'gann ignored the dark hue of the path and pressed forward towards what felt like another mind willing her to come find it. Few seconds had ticked by when she reached what she believed to be Robin's bedroom. M'gann tumbled through the wall and found Robin's spirit resting there, appearing asleep.

Slowly, she inched closer to the strong force, gently extending her hand to reach out and touch it. Seconds ticked by when the smokiness finally intertwined with her fingers and M'gann felt herself being drawn into Robin's consciousness. The boy's memories attempted to toss themselves at her, but M'gann had her mind set on reaching Robin's emotions without crossing any lines.

Finally, the memories and thoughts quit barreling into her, and M'gann was able to relax, feeling Robin's current emotions flood over her spirit.

_Confusion._

_Sadness._

_Anger._

_Obsession._

She hesitated. Obsession? That wasn't what she had expected to find. M'gann hooked onto that emotion, piggybacking onto it like a virus in the human body. The emotion tugged away from her, almost trying to escape her curiosity, but she held on tightly to it.

_'If you want to win, Robin, you have to fight back.'_

M'gann frowned. Who was that speaking?

_'I said that I would prove to you that you will never defeat me, and I am a man of my word.'_

_'Impressive aim.'_

_'Consider it a bit of an... evaluation.'_

She felt a name coming to her suddenly. The emotion's pattern of movement grew to be more unpredictable, and M'gann found herself struggling to hang on to what was left of the fragmented emotion. But somehow, M'gann just knew that the name over however said this things would be the answer they were looking for. It would be a huge clue to help solve what troubling Robin.

_'My name is-'_

_'Get out of my mind!'_

M'gann screamed as she was slammed out of Robin's mind and back into her own body. She dropped out of her meditation form and felt herself get hurled back against the cabinets in the kitchen.

"M'gann!"

She couldn't tell who shouted out her name, but M'gann slowly opened her eyes, trying to catch her breath that had been knocked out of her. Conner lifted her off the counter and gently placed her feet on the floor. The four team members closely surrounded her, all of them painted with confused looks on their faces.

"What happened?" Kaldur asked, putting his hand on the Martian's shoulder.

She gasped for her next breath, "Robin. He-he forced me out of his mind."

"What?" Wally yelled, "You said he wouldn't be able to detect you there! What do you mean he forced you out of his mind?"

A sixth voice came into the room, cutting through the frantic teenagers, "What she means was I kicked her out of my head so she couldn't search my mind through my own secrets."

It felt as though a reaper had stepped into the room to reap all of their souls as the team all slowly turned to see Robin standing in the doorway. His glasses were pressed closely to his eyes and his hand's were in fists at his sides. Artemis could of sworn she saw his shoulders shaking in anger, but she knew better than to say anything.

Kaldur found his voice first, "Robin, we were just-"

"Just what?" Robin yelled fiercely, taking a few steps closer to them. He glared up at each of his friends and allowed his rage to flow off of himself, "Just digging through my mind for answers without me knowing? While I was asleep?"

"We thought that we could help you." Artemis said quickly.

"Help me? You _thought_ I wouldn't feel you searching through my mind? You _thought_ I'd be okay with it?" His scowl turned dark, "Or let me guess. You _thought_ I wouldn't notice M'gann prodding for answers in _my own head_? So that you could use that information to talk about me when my back is turned?"

Robin tightly gripped the corner of the island, "Just _what_ made you think that was okay?" he hissed, knuckles turning white from the pressure. Was this really happening? Robin suddenly wished for nothing more than to wake up in his bedroom and have all this be a sick dream. However, the guilty looks on his teammates faces made Robin realize how real the situation was. All of this was real. M'gann tried to read his mind for answers without his consent and Robin had caught her doing it.

Now they stood before him like children caught eating dessert before dinner.

"Well?"

He looked to Kaldur for an answer. If anything, he should have known better than to agree to this. What happened to the trust that had grown between the six of them? Robin let go of the corner of the table and turned away from their faces before his anger got the best of him. They weren't going to supply him with an answer anytime soon. And Robin would probably slap the first person to just mumble an apology.

A quick glance back over his shoulder compelled him to leave the room. He felt his chest tighten again, but this time it wasn't because of anxiety, but out of overwhelming sadness. Robin didn't bother to listen to hear if they had found their voices or not, but instead quickly walked out of the room. When he was out of eyesight and earshot, Robin broke into a sprint towards his bedroom. He typed in his code with a shaking hand and stepped into the solitude of his room, slamming the door shut behind himself.

Robin ripped his glasses off his face and hurled them across the room. They shattered on impact, the chunks sprinkling down to the floor. The first tear made it way down his cheek when Robin collapsed on his bed. He gripped the blanket tightly as he choked back a quiet sob, the tip of his nose barely brushing the top of his blanket.

He counter the tears that dripped off his face. Two more following the footsteps of the first. A second sob escaped his lips, seeming to ricochet against the walls and turn back to mock Robin. His shoulders quivered like broken butterfly wings and his crystal eyes swam with foreign tears.

The realization dawned on Robin that he didn't know what to do anymore. He had no where to turn and no one to turn to. Robin still struggled to believe it. Had M'gann really infiltrated his mind? And the entire team came to a unaminous decision to go through with such a crazy plan even when the consequences were so severe?

Had he been awake at the time, Robin was sure he would have felt M'gann presence sooner than he had in his sleep. He barely managed to detect her when she began to delve through his memories of Slade. She had no right- the Team had no right to dissect his mind and plan to keep it a secret. Just how many secretes were his teammates keeping from him? What else were they discussing behind closed doors?

Another shuttering sigh managed to slip past his wet lips as the fourth and fifth tears dripped from his eyes clenched shut. The secretes were beginning to pile up like dead bodies in a war zone. It sickened Robin to be standing above those lies like their king, bur he wasn't the only one beating around the bush. Just what else had the lied to him about?

Robin had thought things couldn't get any worse from this point. That he had sunk down to such another low point in his life that there was no option other than for things to make a turnaround and become better. It wasn't until now that Robin realized he had clung onto that hope for days now. To wake up and have all of this a messed up dream. Or for Bruce to step forward and make things right between the two of them. Because right now, Robin wanted nothing more than to have a father.

But John Grayson was long dead, and there was no bringing him back.

* * *

No one had moved from their spot in the kitchen, nor had anyone done much more than breathe at this point. The looks of guilt had only worsened when they heard the door to what they assumed was Robin's bedroom slam shut. They looked between each other, each of them begging someone to speak up.

"S-someone should..." Artemis' voice died off there, her voice cracking from her whole mouth going dry so suddenly.

"Should what?" M'gann asked softly, "He _hates_ us."

The fact was no one could disagree with that statement. Even Kaldur looked too stunned to say anything. How could something seeming to be so helpful and idea go so terribly wrong? Perhaps if Robin knew the truth, if he knew that they truly meant well when they attempted to read his mind, that maybe he would be willing to forgive them. Maybe Robin would be able to understand that all the Team had wanted to do was help the boy when he securely locked himself away inside of his own mind.

But that small shred of hope was useless. Even if Robin knew both sides of the story, why would he ever consider trusting them again?

"I knew it was a bad idea." said Wally, more to to himself than to his teammates. He didn't sound cocky or full of himself, but instead sounded just as M'gann and Artemis did, "I _knew_ it was a bad idea. We shouldn't have done that! We-"

Wally stopped abruptly, moving away from his teammates and running a hand through his fiery locks of hair. He _knew_ it was doomed from the start. He _knew_ that Robin, partner to Batman, would've been able to detect someone else entering his mind. He knew this would blow up in their faces, and he still foolishly let it happen.

Why did he have to be so stupid?

"We did what we thought was helping." Kaldur said, "It was a mistake on our part."

"Quit sugar-coating it, Kaldur! We did more than make a little mistake, we _destroyed_ all the trust that was built on this team!" Wally yelled, slamming his fist down on the counter top, "We should have known better than to go out and try and read his mind. And looked what happened. I'd be shocked if Robin even bothered to talk to us again. Don't you guys get it? We're idiots!"

"Wally, do not raise your voice. There is no need. Once we go and explain to Robin what we thought, he'll-"

Wally rudely cut Kaldur off, "He'll what? Give us all a hug and forgive us? Tell us there's no hard feelings? Look, Kaldur, being optimistic is great and all, but reality is a whole different story. We'll be lucky if Robin even bothers to talk to us again."

There was a long pause that filled the dead air. There wasn't much else to be said. Wally was ready to turn and exit the room when Batman's voice suddenly took up the emptiness in the Mountain.

_"Team, report to the debriefing room."_

* * *

_October 22, 2012_

_{14:58 EST}_

The first thing they all noticed was the five Justice League members standing in the debriefing room. Secondly, Wally noticed Robin opted to wear his mask instead of his sunglasses, but he made no effort to approach Robin on it. Together, the six teens stood uncomfortably together, and the wedge driven between Robin and the other five heroes was nearly visible.

"We have a very important announcement for all of you." Batman said, his tone of voice seeming urgent. At his sides stood Black Canary, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and the Flash. The teens in the room all exchanged looks, unsure of what to expect from them

Flash spoke up next, "The other Leaguers are on their way back from the Space Mission so we had a long discussion about the team and the performance you six have been showing. And..." the Scarlet Speedster stopped speaking as if throwing it back to Batman to finish what he had to say. Robin and Wally shared a look, both of them coming to the same conclusion as the other.

"We have decided," Batman said, "That you six are not ready to carry on such a large responsibility and we are disbanding the team until further notice. Superboy, you will be staying with Black Canary, and Miss Martian, you will stay with J'onn. As for the rest of you," Batman's eyes landed on Robin, "You will be going home with your mentors today. The mountain will be shut down for the time being."

"That's not fair!" Wally shouted, "You can't just end the team! It's only been four months!"

Aquaman put his hands up, "We understand this is hard for you all to accept, but-"

"No." Conner growled, "We're a team and you can't stop us. If you won't help us than we're going out on our own."

The team shared a nod with each other, the tension in the air rising. Robin could hardly believe his own ears. How could they even consider tearing apart the team? The training simulation had been _their_ fault, not the team's. If anyone was to blame for the recent events, it should be their mentors. Robin could understand Batman wanting to end the team, the man hadn't been to keen on it in the beginning, but with the input of all the other heroes, they should have been fine.

Robin couldn't stop the rage the flurried up inside of him. If Batman disbanded the team, he wouldn't have anyone else to train him. The boy was no where near ready to retire his cape; not after all he had been through the past four years. And if Batman didn't have Robin, Bruce hardly needed Dick Grayson around anymore. If he couldn't be Robin, he didn't have anything left.

"There is no going off on your own," Batman warned, his stare turning into a hard glare, "And there is no team. If you wish to continue crime-fighting, then you will go home with your mentors and they will train you accordingly. However, until you are all ready, the team is finished."

"The League _needs_ us." Artemis said harshly, "Bell Reve ring any bells? Or the FOG machine? The things _we_ stopped as a team. We didn't need you then and we don't need you now."

Tempers began to rise in the room and Conner, hot-headed as usual, spoke again, "She's right. You can't stop all of us."

"This isn't up for debate," Black Canary said, "It's to help the six of you. Clearly, you aren't ready to be out in the field on your own. This is for the best."

Silence followed the room as both Wally and Artemis scoffed at the woman's words. How would this help them? Being glued to the side of their mentors just meant they were too young to take care of themselves. Everything had been running smoothly until the training simulation ruined the bond they had as a team. Robin was sure that if the League saw what they did, they would be just as dysfunctional right now as well. Save for Batman, of course.

"I apologize, my King," Kaldur spoke up finally, turning to Aquaman, "However, this is my team and my friends. You are wrong about us. We have earned the right to be here."

"This wouldn't have even happened if you didn't force us to do that stupid training simulation!" Robin yelled, "This is all _your_ fault."

"No, Robin," Batman shot him down, "This happened because the six of you couldn't handle the past two missions. Getting distracted, disobeying direct orders, and being incapable of coming back not covered in your own blood. None of you are ready for this."

Robin opened his mouth to retort, but Batman cleanly cut him off, "There is no room for debate. Return to your rooms and back up your things."

No one dared to move.

"_Now_." Batman growled furiously. They all turned to march down the hallway they entered from, but not without glaring at each member of the League present there. Robin hadn't given Batman the respect of even looking at the man. It was obvious that Batman was still clinging onto the resentment that balanced improperly between them, but Robin found himself ignoring him more than anything.

Typical Batman to shut himself down other than anger and fury to keep himself functioning properly. Robin had grown all too used this behavior from his mentor, and he was getting sick of it.

He reached his room and locked the door behind himself. Batman wasn't serious, was he? There was no way he could just end the team, especially when things were falling apart because of the League's mistakes. The more Robin thought about it, the more furious he got. He whipped a few shirts at the furthest wall in his room with resentment and he tipped over his dresser, contently letting it slam into the floor.

Robin sat down on his dresser, dropping his head into his hands. He removed his mask from resting over his eyes and threw that across the room too. The mask traveled a foot or two before it fell to a heap on the carpeted floor. He kicked it to the side before leaned back against the wall.

And Robin could only hope that this was the lowest point he could ever reach.

**-X-**

**A/N: I honestly can't get over how stunned I am for us to have reached 100 reviews. I seriously appreciate all the feedback- I really do. And I know I mentioned it before, many times, actually, but I personally can't express my thanks enough for all you guys have done for me. I'm just living out my dream right now, and the fact that you all have been so positive and helpful, it really just blows my mind away.**

**This is only the 7th chapter of a long journey ahead of us ^_^ I'm writing my fanfiction here, and having you all join me for the ride is unbelievable. I can never say thanks enough (:**

**I'm also going on vacation, so there may not be an update for awhile, but I'll do my best. My ultimate goal would be to get two or three updates per month at the least, but as you all know, I've not been very good at keeping my deadlines.**

**But this fic is far from over, and I'm not going to leave it unfinished, so don't ever worry about that (:**

**Always~ **

**Hallo'sEve**


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